Hiding behind Mama's skirts and the mop pail incident

I once saw a Facebook meme that said, “Whew, that was close. I almost had to socialize”. It was so much like me I just had to share it.

I started my life hiding behind my Mama's skirts. That's not a figurative statement. I really did hide behind her skirts. I would listen and observe but seldom say a word. I was a smart little poop but I really hated conversation.

I was always worried that I would say the wrong thing or be misunderstood. Man, do I hate being misunderstood! Unfortunately, I'm only eloquent on paper so I've experienced many a misunderstood moment.

 The first one I remember happened when I was about three years old. I was literally hiding behind my Mama's skirts in a circle of friends and relatives. There was a full mop pail directly behind me.

Here's how it all went down:

I stepped back.

The mop pail hit the back of my knees.

My knees buckled.

I consequently fell right into the pail.

Now, I couldn't possibly care any less about the embarrassment of sitting in a mop pail. What did I care about? Well, you see, the impression everyone had was that I sat in the mop pail, mistaking it for a chair.

So, all my life, that's how the story was told. It really ticked me off that everyone not only misunderstood me, but continually repeated this inaccurate story, no matter how many times I corrected them. It made me look stupid. And if there's anything I hate more than being misunderstood, it's being made to look stupid.

So, people, I am not now, nor have I ever been so stupid as to think a mop pail is a chair. Not even when I was three years old. It was a stupid accident, yes, but it could have happened to anyone who was short enough to have a mop pail hit the back of their knees. Intelligence had nothing to do with it.

The incident was totally misinterpreted. Let's just get that straight once and for all.

Man, I'm glad that's cleared up.

Hello? Is anyone home?

Sometimes remaining mentally healthy means having a greater understanding of other peoples behavioral differences. If you laugh with people, not at them, living with your crazy crap and theirs can lift you up instead of causing unnecessary friction. 

For instance, I have a friend who sometimes spaces out when asked a question. Rather than answering, he will simply remain silent, or walk away. It can be rather disconcerting to the person who asked the question.

He's not a rude person. He's just single focus like me. I don't have his habit, but I totally understand it. When his mind is fully focused on one thing, that's all he can think about.

So, a lot of the time, when he does this, people who don't know him well, will find his behavior insulting. In fact, he has had this habit since he was a small child. It has nothing to do with rudeness, inconsideration, or anything of the kind. He's just thinking so hard about something, that he has no room in his brain to process anything else. He's not a multi-tasker at all.

When he was a child, this habit was so bad that his parents ended up taking him to have his hearing tested. Then, they thought maybe there was a mental issue. He laughs about it sometimes, now and his habit has gotten better. He can force himself out of his zone sometimes and sometimes not.

Have you ever encountered someone who doesn't answer your direct questions or seems to ignore your end of a conversation? Go easy on them. Sure, they could be rude. On the other hand, maybe they're like my friend.

We all have our little quirks don't we? That's what makes us individuals. Personally, I find my friend's little “hearing” problem somewhat endearing. It makes him who he is and that makes me smile.

Avoid going stir crazy in self isolation with these activities

Roaring at Coronavirus

If you're a high risk individual like me, you're probably sick of Netflix and chilling. The good news is there are plenty of other things you can do while house-bound and even a few things you can do outside the home. You don't have to go stir crazy. You may even have a few things on your to do list you can check off while in forced isolation.

So, what's on that list of yours? If you've been putting off dull household chores like organizing cupboards, re-arranging or repairing things around the house, now you have plenty of time to address them. Likewise, if you're an artist, writer or have another hobby you never have time for, here's your chance to explore your creative side.

Getting out of the house is possible. You just have to avoid people. Spring is nearly here. How about planning your garden or landscaping? On warm days, you could do any needed outdoor repairs. Tackle small painting projects. Or, just sit on the porch, sip lemonade (or a margarita) and watch the crocus bloom.

Speaking of, what if you just want to relax and have fun with your forced time off? The good news is, you can enjoy the great outdoors without the chores. Take a nature walk or just a scenic drive without any worries of contracting anything. Just stay away from highly populated tourist areas and attractions.

You can have plenty of indoor fun too. There's always video games and other tech related entertainment. Or you can do some things you haven't done in a while. Kick it old school with board games, cards, etc. If you have no one to play with, well, ironically, there's always solitaire.

How do you stay in shape? Well, there's those aforementioned nature walks. You could make use of that dusty basketball hoop on the garage. Or, you could check out online or on demand exercise videos. Better yet, crank up the music and go footloose. A little dance session never hurt anyone. Plus, no witnesses.

So, what am I doing during my own personal self isolation? Well, there will be music. If you're lucky, you won't catch me dancing. Nobody needs to see that atrocity. But you might catch me flinging paint at a canvas in wild abandonment or happily tapping out blog posts. In short, I'm having fun with it and so should you.

Bath soaks and other creative methods for detox

There's more than one way to rid your body of harmful toxins and pollutants. Opening pores with delightful bath soaks can really help. Dry brushing is another detoxification method. Whether you believe in toxins or not, they believe in you. Why let them make a home and clog up your system? Eat right, get plenty of exercise and try these detoxification bath soaks along with dry brushing to keep pores free and clear. Here are some detox methods that don't involve fasting or fads.

Flat tummy soak

Rid the body of toxins that trap fat and promote big bellies with this citrus soak. Get bikini ready with orange essential oil in your bath. Just five or six drops helps clear pores so fat trapping toxins exit the body. Combine with crunches and plenty of fluid flushing water for even more tummy flattening power.

Epsom salt soak

Grandma was “spot on” with this one. Epsom salts really do draw toxins and inflammation out of the body to promote healing. Just add a couple cups to the bath and soak those toxins right out of you. Follow up with dry brushing for best results.

What the heck is dry brushing?

Brushing dry skin with a natural bristle brush boosts circulation and frees the skin of dead cells. Dead cells block pores. Pores are the body's natural escape route for toxins. For the detoxification method of dry brushing, work toward the heart. End with a warm shower and cool rinse.

Eating right as detox

Fancy fad cleanses and flushes are completely unnecessary if you eat right to begin with. Avoid food toxins such as pesticides and preservatives that wreak havoc on your system. Get plenty of fiber and antioxidants by eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes. All these are natural daily maintenance detox methods.

Sweat it out detox

Toxins are eliminated naturally though sweat glands. Want to pump up the volume on this natural detoxification method? Stay home to work out so you can skip the antiperspirant until the after exercise shower. Sweat glands are concentrated under the arms. Blocking these pores with antiperspirant keeps toxins in. Try the sauna for a good sweat too.

Go organic to detox

The best detoxification method is not to encounter toxins in the first place. Use organic products for personal hygiene and cleaning. Stay away from cigarettes and smokers. Don't abuse drugs and alcohol and try your best to live pollution free.

These homemade toothpastes are fluoride and baking soda free

Are you worried about the dangers of fluoride in your drinking water and dental care products? What can you do? Some of the natural brands are fluoride free. Unfortunately, they still contain our old friend sodium laurel sulfate. What can you do? We all know about brushing with baking soda. Unfortunately, it leaves a lot to be desired in the flavor dept. So, here's some other inexpensive kitchen ingredients that keep teeth white, bright and healthy.

Non-fluoride baking soda brushing alternative

Did you know coconut oil works just as well for cleaning teeth as baking soda? The taste is much easier to take, though. Coconut oil is solid, not runny. It's about the same texture as toothpaste. It seems expensive at around 8.00-20.00 for a 16 oz. jar. That is, until you realize that jar is going to last you longer than several tubes of toothpaste with a lot left over for cooking and such. Simply put some in a separate jar for the bathroom. Add a drop or two of peppermint extract to freshen breath and you're good to go.

Note: Add a bit of hydrogen peroxide for whitening power.

Salt scrubs plaque clean.

I do a routine salt scrub once a week to keep my teeth plaque free. It makes an incredible difference in appearance. If you have issues with plaque build-up, why not give it a try? Simply pour about a teaspoon of salt into your hand. Wet a soft bristled toothbrush. Dip it in the salt. Now, brush away all that nasty plaque without fluoride rinses or strong gels.

Caution: Using salt daily may scrub away tooth enamel along with the plaque. This is a weekly or monthly treatment.

Strawberry/banana peel whitener really works!

Who knew a couple pieces of fruit could whiten teeth so well? We've all heard that rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your teeth whitens like magic. Does it work? You bet. I've tried it myself. I also heard that strawberries whiten teeth. My teeth were dingy from my old soda pop drinking habit. So, I decided to try them together. I mashed a strawberry, spread it on the banana peel and rubbed it on my teeth daily for a couple weeks. Sure enough, by the end of the two weeks, my pop stained teeth were replaced by pearly whites.

Lemon juice for teeth?

We've all heard that citrus is bad for your teeth. You wouldn't want to leave it lingering for long. Still, my grand-daughter says she has a marvelous fluoride free way of keeping her teeth super white. She brushes them weekly with a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. I know. I said no baking soda. She does admit it tastes awful. So, since the lemon juice is the active ingredient, why not mix it with coconut oil instead? It'll be fluoride free and taste good too.

Please note: The author is not a licensed medical professional. This article is not intended to replace professional dental advice.

Why I still call myself a “Naturally Healthy Grandma”

I think I'm quite healthy, considering I have 4 chronic health issues.

After I wrote that last post, I saw the irony, though. Actually, I always have seen it. I have Lupus, Rheumatoid, Fatty Liver disease and Reynaud's Syndrome. Good heavens! How can I still call myself healthy?

Well, because that's not a literal title, of course. What I mean by that title is that I work on my illnesses with natural methods and in fact, only take man made cures when it's absolutely necessary. Such as when I'm having a flare.

Also, I have to say this, when I compare my health journey to that of friends with similar illnesses who take conventional meds, there is a clear difference.

Each time one of my friends is treated with another “miracle” conventional med, they seem to slide further and further down the health ladder. Whereas, at least my natural “cures” don't make me any sicker than I already am and in most cases, they are an improvement or a relief, even if it's a small one.

So there you go, I am as naturally healthy as one can be when fighting several chronic conditions. I believe that's due to my refusal to take certain recommended prescription medicines that have disastrous side effects and stick to healthier alternatives.

I believe that treating illness naturally is the way to go if you want to extend your life as far as possible. That makes me a Naturally Healthy Grandma. I'm as healthy as one can possibly be when dealing with this. I think I've earned the title.

Surprising cause of my fatty liver disease

Histological section of a murine liver showing severe steatosis. The clear vacuoles would have contained lipid in the living cells, however the histological fixation caused it to be dissolved and hence only empty spaces remain.

I've had the inclination to tell you all about this for a while. In fact, ever since I was diagnosed with fatty liver after an GI ultrasound several years ago. The reason for the ultrasound was that it had recently been discovered that I have had untreated Lupus since I was a young child. The doctors were checking to see what, if any, damage this had done to my system, since I was having some considerable digestive issues.

Their findings came up showing advanced fatty liver disease, which, with a proper diet, can be reversed in most cases. Unfortunately, time has shown that mine is not a reversible case. I've even gone about 95% vegan to no avail. But here's the interesting part.

It seems that my fatty liver was not caused by the Lupus.

Nor do I have a long history of drinking to excess. Now, I did have a short time period where I overindulged in my late 40's for about a year and a half. I was honest with my doctors about that. Still, they don't feel that would have led to the amount of damage done to my liver. Instead, they have determined that the cause of my fatty liver disease is likely my former long term addiction to soda pop.

Yes, you heard me right. Soda pop. I've always loved one particular brand which I won't mention here so as not to cause an uproar or a lawsuit. Anyway, when I worked as assistant manager in a convenience store for 2 years, I drank a lot of it. We were allowed all the free fountain drinks we wanted. And let's face it, double shifts require caffeine sometimes. And once I left, I continued to drink a lot of it, out of habit.

Now folks, fatty liver may not seem like the worst thing that I could have. But trust me, it's no picnic. In fact, it's downright horrendous. I can't flush my liver because my water intake is limited. I tried milk thistle, as well as conventional meds to no avail. Turmeric is a no go because it's too spicy for me to handle.

Not meaning to be graphic but a lot of what I eat comes right back to me. I have to basically under-eat if I want to keep anything down. I also have extreme acid reflux, due to my compromised liver, so when it does come up, it tastes like pure acid and absolutely fries my throat. It's incredibly painful.

Needless to say, I no longer drink soda pop.

I also cannot have a lot of sugar, which worsens the damage. I can't eat spicy food at all. Greasy foods are obviously bad too. I get sick immediately if I do sometimes. Other times, it takes an hour or two before I react.

My meal portions are about half the normal size most of the time. I can't eat past about 4:00. Plus, I'm not ever hungry. Which means that I have to be very cautious, so that I do actually eat something, at least for breakfast and lunch. I have learned that eating dinner invariably equals puking, so that's out.

The docs have told me that at this point, I just have to deal with it. What's worse? If I take conventional prescribed meds for Lupus and my other conditions now, eventually they will destroy my already damaged liver. The doctors, of course, want me to continue taking them, even with the risk. I'm not willing to do that. So I am off all regular meds. I take prednisone for flares but I can't take it regularly. Basically, I'm just trying to control these monsters with diet and lifestyle changes. Some of them work well. Others don't work at all but they do keep things down to a dull roar.

And of course, with Lupus, Rheumatoid and Reynaud's pounding on my door, my fatty liver is not the worst issue I have to deal with.

Anyway, here's the deal. If you drink soda pop, regular or diet, do yourself a favor and get off it. You do not want this miserable life I live. You do not want to constantly watch everything you eat and drink, sometimes to no avail. I cannot stress this enough. You may already have damage and just don't realize it. The symptoms sneak up on you. I never knew until it was too late. But it's not too late for you. 

Please, get off the soda pop now.I wouldn't wish this on anyone.