Sugar Sucks

No, quite literally, if there was a food that could be classified as a vampire, refined sugar would be it. It sucks the life force out of me and turns me into the undead.

Someone brought treats by the other day and I thought, "Why not? I deserve a treat today!" Well, a treat turned into two and maybe a third. I didn't feel horrible from it so last night I "indulged" again. And then the affects kicked in. They came on strong before the night was out and I still feel some of them now. Here is what I experienced yet again for giving in to my sugar addiction:

• Headache
• Toothache
• Asthma
• Weak body
• Inability to focus

One of these days I'll learn. My tightness of breath and stuffy nose are teaching me at the moment. I did a few weeks of no sugar period and had been trying to ease a little in as the situation may arise. I may not ever have enough control to have "just one," but then again it may be for the best. Sugar truly doesn't seem to agree with me. Plus it has lost most of its taste appeal (real food tastes a lot better and doesn't make me feel like junk).

The end. Hopefully...

Sugar Effects in News

From article website

I logged of my Hotmail yesterday and discovered this nifty article on MSN :

6 Scary Side Effects of Sugar

The article is worded in a way to suggest there is an acceptable amount of sugar, but we know refined sugar is unhealthy no matter what. It was just refreshing to see refined sugars getting hammered in a more broad stream news outlet since lots of people accuse the crazy health nuts of being too uptight over sugar and things.

Nope, we just don't want to get sick and die.

Crispy Stuffed Burritos

THIS...WAS...AWESOME!!!

So I started making enchiladas from a new recipe, but I didn't want to deal with the stuff I didn't have (including enchilada sauce - which oddly, this recipe doesn't call for). As I started browning beef (not a part of the original recipe) I flipped my mind and just went at it on my own. I chopped and simmered and cooked and stirred. Rolled them, baked them and WHAM! I had created a masterpiece of culinary delight.

Fine. At least I liked it. Oh, and others did too ;)
Plus, there are no spices or dehydrated seasonings other than salt and pepper.

CRISPY STUFFED BURRITOS

1/2 pound ground beef (can substitute 1 cup rice instead for vegetarian style)
1/2 large onion
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
3-4 cups fresh spinach
2 cups kidney and black beans (see end of post)
1 cup cooked brown rice
Sea Salt
Pepper
Whole Wheat Tortillas (or preferred kind)
Butter
Salsa (optional)

Take a half pound of ground beef and get that puppy cooking in a large pot on medium heat. As it cooks, chop up the onion into little diced pieces along with the green pepper and the garlic cloves. Season the half cooked beef (should still be partly pink) with sea salt and pepper. Add in the tomatoes, diced as well, with any juice they make. Cut up the spinach leaves into small strips or squares and add them as well. Keep this whole mix simmering. The beef should have cooked by now. Add the black and kidney bean mix and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add in the rice and some more sea salt. Stir the mix and allow to cook for five more minutes (longer if rice is cold). Take out enough pans (cookie sheets or baking dishes) to hold the burritos and butter the bottoms of them. Line each tortilla with around 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling. Roll and place side with edge of tortilla face down to hold in place. Place each burrito with at least a half inch gap between to allow crisping. Bake for 20 minutes or until tortillas start to brown and are crisp. Remove, top with salsa if desired.

ENJOY!!! THESE CAME OUT AWESOME!!!




SOAKING KIDNEY AND BLACK BEANS

I rinse the beans and put two cups black beans and two cups kidney beans in a large pot with 10-12 cups water and simmer for an hour. Once the simmering is done, I let the beans sit for 24 hours (until the next evening). After the time is up I drain and rinse the beans, filling up the pot again with 12 cups water. Then I cook them for a couple of hours on a very low boil. This is until they are the desired texture (soft, but not mush). Drain, cool and store in fridge if not needed immediately.

Starve a Fever, Feed a Cold - Illness Protocol 101

When you're sick, there are things you should and shouldn't do. We have certain rules drilled into our heads from our parents and doctors and we end up passing them onto our children. However, the more I spend time with people helping them overcome their health struggles (including dealing with a cold or flu), the more I realize that the rules I learned as a child are not standard across the board. People seem to have different conceptions of what an illness is and what to do about it. Let's standardize the process a little.

1: GET SOME REST.

Your body is fighting off a virus. It needs time and resources. If you are spending those resources on active movement (including: exercise, sports, labor, etc.) you are decreasing your body's power to fight the virus and that will make the bug stick around longer.

My wife doesn't know why some people think they should come to work feeling like crap. Here is some simple math for you - if you can only work half speed because you are sick, working several days that way (until the virus wears off) is less effective then taking a sick day or two and coming back full steam. Since the flu is usually 7-10 days, sweating it out at work that whole time will decrease efficiency and productivity far greater than a few days at home to recuperate. Plus, this leads to protocol two:

2: STAY OUT OF PUBLIC!

Funny thing about illnesses, THEY ARE CONTAGIOUS! Yep. You got it from someone who got it from someone else who got it from...you get the idea. Viruses are spread through contact with other people (whether by things they contacted or themselves). If you come to work or school feeling ill, everything and everyone you come in contact with is exposed. Epidemics work that way - one person with the bug goes into a crowded area and its all over.  Do everyone a favor and stay home for a little while.

3: WATCH WHAT YOU EAT

This one seems to slip by most people. When you are sick you want comfort so you eat the foods you love (and can stomach). Here are a few tips for eating and drinking when ill:

1. COLD: Colds are infamous for creating mucus in the sinuses and lungs. Mucus is enhanced by drinking commercial diary products and Orange Juice. If you have a cold, get your vitamin C from another source and lay off the cereal with milk for a few days. Also, sugary foods just add more problems to the body and feed bacteria. If you are already suffering from the effects of a cold, added sugar to the mix is a bad idea.
2. FLU: Drink plenty of fluids. You get dehydrated quickly and that just makes it all worse. By keeping your body at full water level, you keep the systems running as best they can and ensure a more timely recovery.
3. VOMITING: My mother always told me that if you throw up you go on the B.R.A.T. diet. This is bananas, rice, applesauce and toast (no toppings and no butter). These four foods are some of the most basic and most easily digested. They will be the best bet to recovering from an inability to keep things down. 
4. FEVER: Contrary to popular acetaminophen companies' beliefs, a low grade fever is not something to drug up. When your body heats up it is actually able to fight the illness better. So even a fever of 102-103 is okay in adults for an hour or so. If it doesn't go away for several hours then use the drugs and if that doesn't turn the tide, then go to the doctor. Keep drinking fluids and make sure the rest of the body is warm enough (feet especially). Don't worry about eating a lot, just when you can.

4: KNOW (AND USE) YOUR REMEDIES

You need to be aware of the remedies that are best suited for your illness. Certain illnesses respond to certain treatments. Using the right one can significantly reduce your sick time, if not eliminate it.

We keep a running list of ailments on the side of the blog. Search alphabetically for yours and click on the link. If we haven't gotten to your ailment yet, please email us at jsdraper2011@gmail.com. We love hearing from you and will find the answers you need.

Also, feel free to comment with further good advice if you have some. Thanks.

Heirloom Rainbow

spiraling in clockwise from top left: zucchini, red potatoes, mixed greens, garlic chives, rainbow carrots, elder berries, mini sweet bell peppers, purple Russian tomatoes, eggplants (maybe Little Purple Tiger eggplants but can't remember)

Today has been a perfect Saturday: a lovely family hike, picnic by a lake, cooling rain on the drive home, and a bounty of beautiful produce from the farmers market.

I couldn't help gushing about the stand selling all heirloom veggies, grown without pesticides, and Hubby wanted to know what the big deal is. What's an heirloom?

Justin already wrote about the importance of heirloom seeds in this post back in July, but this stand at the farmers market is the first time I've come across heirloom produce for sale (hopefully those of you in other communities are luckier; organic and heirloom produce is still too scarce at my end of the Salt Lake valley here in Utah).

What I explained to Hubby is that heirlooms are old varieties of fruits and veggies that can be reproduced from year to year, rather than having to buy new seeds every season, and the big deal is that the more they're grown the better they become: stronger and more nutrient-dense and so on because each year they adapt better to the climate you grow them in.

What I especially love, though, is that I can get so much more variety at a tiny market stand of heirlooms than I can at the supermarket where every single carrot is orange and the zucchini is uniformly green. Each color comes with slightly different vitamins, giving your body more variety of nutrients. But variety also means flavor!

I got to sample the Purple Russian tomatoes right there at the stand, and it was love at first toothpick-speared bite. In fact, this blog post I came across, "Why Heirloom Tomatoes? Flavor, Quality, Nutrition and More," describes it better than I could:

"It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before — sweet and rich with a hint of smoky flavor. The juice dribbled down my chin. I was astounded. A lifetime of mealy, tasteless supermarket tomatoes stretched behind me, and I hoped I would never be forced to return to that bland existence."

So true. I can't stand to buy tomatoes at the grocery store anymore. I'd rather hold out until Saturday when I can get back to the Farmers Market again, and next year I plan to create my own heirloom garden right in my backyard.

At home after our hike I snacked on the carrots with some homemade ranch dip (see recipe below), and I was amazed at the taste. Each color was subtly different and oh so good. I couldn't even see a reason to peel them; I just rinsed off any dirt and ate them the way they came.

RANCH DIP
sour cream
chives
onions
dill
garlic
sea salt

Mince chives, onions, dill and garlic and stir desired amounts into sour cream. Play with amounts and varieties of chives, etc, to find what you like best. Stir in roughly one teaspoon of salt per cup of sour cream. Let flavors meld in refrigerator overnight. For ranch dressing, add buttermilk to desired consistency.

I love it when my food can be beautiful and nutritious and tasty all at once. Hooray for a rainbow of heirlooms and for the wonderful people who grow them!

Try Organic Food

Get Your Sourdough Groove On! Starting, Feeding & Baking with Wild Yeasts

I use my sourdough starter (wild yeasts) at least every other day: waffles, biscuits, cookies, pizza dough, crepes, cinnamon rolls, and the occasional loaf of bread. In some ways it's so much easier than commercial yeast, but in other ways it's challenging — mainly because it's like having a pet around that you have to remember to feed! And it can also be slightly temperamental, taking its sweet time to rise.

But the health benefits are 100% worth it. Thanks to the wild yeasts, your body is able to access all the nutrients of the wheat that would be otherwise inhibited by phytic acid, etc. For example, soured breads provide the B vitamins that so many of us are deficient in — a deficiency that can lead to all kinds of serious health problems.

Let me start by sharing this video from a site called GNOWFGLINS (God's Natural Organic Whole Foods Grown Locally In Season) that first outlines the health benefits of wild yeasts and then provides a simple tutorial on how to get yours started — from nothing but flour and water!



Once you've got your active starter colony, here are the helpful tips I've gathered in learning how to use it and keep it strong as well as how to adapt it to your own personality. There's a lot to digest here (pun intended), but you've got a whole week while your colony of wild yeast multiplies, so by then you'll know exactly what to do.

Flour-to-Water Ratios

• There are three mindsets: equal volume measurement of flour and water (e.g. 1 cup flour to 1 cup water); equal weight measurement of flour and water; or the low-key method. I'm a low-key gal. My method for feeding my starter is to dump in flour and then add water straight from my filtered spigot. I stir it and if it's too dry, I add more water and stir again. Use whichever method works best for you and don't stress about it.
  

Starter-to-Feeding Ratios

• The less starter you leave in the jar (after taking some out for a recipe), the stronger it will be after feeding it. There are times when all that's left in my jar is a little bit clinging to the sides, but after I add flour and water and stir, it bubbles up nice and strong within a few hours.
• GNOWFGLINS suggests not going beyond a 1:3 ratio of starter to flour/water feeding. In other words, if you have 1/4 cup of starter left, don't add more than 3/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup water so you don't overwhelm your starter. I don't adhere strictly to this but keep it in the back of my mind as a general guideline.
• Some also say you should feed the starter as much as you take out. When you remove 1 cup for a recipe, you should feed your starter 1 cup of flour and water. Use this guideline if it works for you, but again, don't stress about it.
  
• I feed my starter so that once I've stirred the flour, water and starter together it's halfway up the jar. Since starters usually double after a feeding, be careful not to fill beyond the halfway point or it'll go volcano on you and ooze out the top.

Your Starter's Favorite Food

• I've noticed my starter responds best to the type of flour I used to create it: hard red winter wheat. I can feed it other types, but whenever it seems sluggish and not rising as much as usual, I give it a hefty feeding of red-wheat flour to rejuvenate it.

Storage and Use

• I recommend keeping the starter in your fridge once your month of strict twice-a-day feedings are over. There's too much potential to forget feedings and have it go bad if it's out (I learned from experience). Now I keep a glass jar with a little more than a cup of starter in the fridge, take it out to use in a recipe as needed, feed it well and let it bubble up on the counter, and then screw on a lid and put it back in the fridge when it's returned to its high bubbled-up stage.
• When I need more starter than fits in my jar, such as for waffles or crepes that need 2 cups, I pour about a cup of starter into my 4-cup glass measuring pitcher and add flour and water to the 2 cup line, several hours before I'm going to need it. The starter will rise to the 3- or 4-cup line, but remember that if you were to measure it out again, a cup at a time, the bubbles would deflate as you poured or scooped it out, reducing it back to 2 cups.
• Bread loaves that depend on a good rise need to use the sourdough starter in its optimum "domed" state. At first it might be tough to tell if your starter is at its peak, but you'll get the hang of it. The benefit of a glass jar is that it's easy to tell when the starter has large bubbles and has doubled — which is usually its peak point.
  
• Quick bread recipes that use baking soda or baking powder turn out fine whether the started is domed or not.
  

Liquid Separation

• Pour off any liquid that separates in your starter. Sometimes this happens in mine from adding too much water, and sometimes it'll be a dark liquid that the yeast produce, but either way I've found I get much better recipe results when I pour off the liquid and keep my starter nice and thick.
• Once in a while I get a layer of liquid trapped on the bottom. In this case I carefully scoop off starter from above the liquid to use in my recipe, then pour out the liquid before feeding the starter again.
  

Wait Time and Kneading

• Working with whole grains means that you have to give the flour time to absorb the liquid in the recipe. What might seem like too wet of a dough at first could be perfect after it sits for 15 minutes. For pizza dough, bread loaves, etc, I've found that my best strategy is to mix the ingredients, let it sit 15 minutes, knead for 5–8 minutes, let sit for 5 more minutes, and knead for another 5 minutes. Be very careful not to jump the gun and think you need extra flour until you've given the dough both wait times. At that point your dough should be the right consistency, usually soft and stretchy and slightly sticky.

Moist Dough

• Wild yeasted breads turn out better if you keep them moist: right at the point where you can knead them but they leave a slight residue on your hands. Some recipes will even call for a much stickier dough, like the English muffin recipe I use from GNOWFGLINS. Expect a little trial and error whenever using a new recipe, and if it turns out too sour or too dry, adjust your amounts of flour and liquid and souring time and try again.
• To keep the dough moist as it sours, I find the best tactic is to cover the bowl with a plate. Another trick is to use a damp tea towel over the top.

Souring Factors: Time, Temperature, Humidity, Climate, Altitude, Etc

• On warm days, five hours might be enough for the wild yeast to work. When temperatures are cooler, it could take eight hours or more. If you do a double-rise method bread loaf, I've sometimes had it take almost 24 hours. Obviously the longer you let it sour, the more sour the final bread will be. For that reason, I prefer to put my bread directly into greased loaf pans for a single rise instead of letting it rise in the bowl first. If my wild yeast is in a good mood, it will sometimes rise in just a few hours; other times it might take all day or night. Some people worry that if it rises too fast, before the "optimum" 5–8 hours, then the wheat isn't properly digestible yet. I figure that yeasts don't adhere to clocks and the evidence of rising shows that they've done their job, so this is another aspect where I just don't stress about it and bake my bread whenever it looks ready.
• Wild yeasts like warmth, so there are several ways to encourage faster souring: using warm liquids and freshly milled flour (grinding the wheat heats it up), bringing your starter to room temperature before use, and stashing the bowl in a warm oven. I've even been known to put my souring dough outside on a warm day to speed things up. However, when I'm not in a hurry I dump my starter straight from the fridge, my flour straight from the freezer, and my water straight from the filter — and it still works fine. Don't stress!
  
• Some regions, like New England and San Francisco, are known for their sourdough because for whatever reason wild yeasts thrive in their climate, whether because of altitude, humidity, temperature, or some other quality in the air. If you absolutely can't get a starter going on your own, it might be a climate issue. In that case you can order a strong dehydrated starter, such as a New England culture, and reanimate it wherever you live.
  
• It's also helpful to note that baking soda counteracts the sourness of wild yeast. That's why we can make quick breads like cinnamon rolls that aren't sour at all, even if we sour the dough overnight or even longer. Just beware that the baking soda can also throw things off. With sourdough cookies, whenever I add baking soda they go totally flat and crumble apart, even if I only add 1/4 teaspoon. If you find that happening with pancakes or anything else, try decreasing the amount of baking soda or replacing it with baking powder. I suspect that altitude might be a crucial factor in this issue, as I live fairly high up near the mountains.
  

Recipe Adaptation

• This takes a little confidence, so you might want to try a few recipes specifically designed for wild yeast before you tackle reinventing your own recipes.
  
• In yeast recipes, substitute one cup starter for one tablespoon commercial yeast, and for every one cup starter, decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/2 cup. For example, the pizza dough recipe I adapted called for 1 tablespoon yeast and 1 1/4 cups water, so I changed that to 1 cup sourdough starter and 3/4 cup water and left the flour measurements the same.
  
• In quick-bread recipes, use a 1/2 cup starter and either decrease liquids by 1/4 cup or increase flour by 1/4–1/2 cup; also, you might want to decrease baking powder and increase baking soda. Mix only the flours and liquids (including oils) at first, adding the salt, etc, after souring. For example, here's how I adapted my mom's biscuit recipe:

Original Recipe
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk

Sourdough Recipe
1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups hard wheat flour or 2 1/2 cups spelt flour*
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1/2–3/4 cup milk (depending on thickness of the starter)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt

*spelt makes fluffier biscuits because it's less dense, but that also means that you generally need more spelt flour than hard wheat flour

Whew!

I know it looks like a lot to master, but you'll get the hang of it one recipe at a time. And I promise that I can tell the difference in my digestion between breads that are soured or not. Thanks to my starter, my bread becomes nutritious enough that we could survive on bread alone! And in light of Steph's thoughts on food storage, surviving on just wheat and water seems pretty impressive.

Let me know what questions you have, check out GNOWFGLINS for more recipes and ideas, and good luck with your wild yeasts!

SKIN CARE 101 Webinar with Dr. David Hill

Keep Your Skin Looking and Feeling Young

Check out this webinar AT ANY TIME today for FREE.

http://www.reinventinghealthcareinfo.com/keep-your-skin-feeling-and-looking-young/

Dr David Hill will be discussing skin care with Shaunna Sorenson.

Enjoy.  There is LOTS to learn.

A Healthy "Real Foods" Food Storage: Part 1 - Meat

Photo: UNKNOWN

This is the first of many posts on creating a "Real Foods" food storage, so follow me along on my journey as I wonder aloud and learn things through the process of planning and building my 1 year supply.

As we move to a whole foods diet the desire to create a food storage is growing within me!  I can hardly wait.  In some areas I can see how much cheaper it is - NO SUGAR - WHEAT BERRIES - HEARTIER ALTERNATIVES - NO MEAT - etc. etc.  But then we have to deal with some really pertinent questions:

What if there is no power?
What if we can't get any fresh produce?
What if we can't grow produce due to a diminished water supply?
How can you happily eat without meat?

Many people actually have meat in their food storage, which is awesome, but what if the power went out (which is very likely in a natural disaster situation)?  We've decided to get rid of meat, not only because of the food storage issues, but because of the health problems it can cause (today I just learned that even the leanest of meats can create a hormone (or chemical) within your body that INCREASES inflammation!!!  AHHHH!), because of the price of grass-fed, free range, hormone/antibiotic free meats, and also because of our personal beliefs.  The Word of Wisdom is a health code that we believe God revealed to the LDS (Mormon) prophet, Joseph Smith.  Read it to learn more about what we believe.  Religious or not, I think you will find it fascinating.

Photo: GETTY

One part discusses how flesh of the animals is to be used, but sparingly.  Then it specifically states that in times of famine, cold, and winter it is appropriate to consume meat.  This speaks so strongly to me - specifically of the winter months - because I am one of those people that gets depressed in the winter.  When I was pregnant with Sophie I was attempting a Vegan lifestyle.  (SOOOO HARD!)  I eventually had to give in, because I needed the meat to help stave off my depression.  I also feel strongly that once I have a more balanced diet, nutritionally speaking, that I probably won't NEED that meat, but as it is, I do not perfectly understand nutrition, so I am grateful to have the meat around.

On a completely ridiculous note for wanting to get rid of meat:

I don't like keeping it in my fridge.
I don't like touching it/cooking with it.
Some people like canned/canning meat for storage -that GROSSES me out! (although I do love a good Tuna sandwhich)
I absolutely HATE worrying about if it is cooked enough to be safe but not too much to be tough.
I hate defrosting it.
And quite frankly I am just not a huge meat lover.  My meats are always slathered with sauces, because that is my true love. :)  Yummm.

Photo: UNKNOWN

Don't mistake me - I will MOST DEFINITELY continue to have meat in my diet.  We will have a traditional turkey/ham/hot dog/burger for whatever the holiday/occasion calls, we just will not be having it on a regular basis (I especially love Applegate Farms hot dogs).

This month I will be attempting to do about 60-70% of our meals vegetarian.  We will be introducing fish (outside of tuna) which is hard for me as well.  :(  As I create my menu I will be actively thinking about my food storage and how each of the items needed will fare in a food storage situation. 

Do you have any ideas of how you can incorporate REAL foods into your food storage?  How do you feel about getting rid of meat?

What to Do When Essential Oils Burn Eyes or Sensitive Skin

We adults were sitting on the couches and talking it up yesterday. Steph and Jen decided they both needed Pasttense and while Jen would only put it on her neck, Steph always puts it on her forehead too. Then, absentmindedly she touched her eye with her now oily fingers. Instant burn!

"Aaaggh!" (flapping hands like fans and squinting with tears). Jen and I couldn't help but laugh a little since we'd just been talking to Jen about her eye burn from weeks ago. Finally I got up and fetched the Fractionated Coconut Oil from the bathroom and squirted it in her eye. Within moments the burn faded away.

This was repeated when my son brought a bottle of Peppermint to Steph today and then touched his eye. He was suddenly experiencing that burn and was not happy. I had to pin him to the floor and force open his eye since he didn't believe putting more oil in his eye would help. Yet, in less than a minute he was feeling better and before two had passed his eye was normal. Fractionated Coconut Oil to the rescue again.

image from wikipedia.org

The Fractionated Coconut Oil is the best option for diluting the essential oils especially in the eyes. Water opens pores and spreads the oils over the same area without affecting the potency (in fact, the sensation is that they have increased in power). So as a neighbor found out when putting some oils on his face right before a shower - water and oil do not mix.

Other oils can be used, like olive oil, for diluting on the skin. They often have good properties in and of themselves too. Fractionated Coconut Oil just happens to be an oil especially prepared for binding with essential oils in a positive way and carrying their properties to the body without the intensity that normally accompany them. This way the healing benefits are not lessened or dissolved by the carrier oil. Also, because of the purity of doTERRA's coconut oil (as with all their oils) there isn't a concern about foreign contaminants in the oil getting in the eye if applied.

Last week the kids dumped out our bottle of it and it was a good thing Steph got more! It also does great things with massages (a tablespoon of Fractionated Coconut Oil and a few drops of the essential oil of your choice).

PS - Since doTERRA's oils are certified by constant testing to be nothing but the pure oil, the only concern with them is to reduce any immediate uncomfortable sensation, not actually any danger to tissue. If you are not using doTERRA essential oils please refer to your company's warning labels and usage guides before applying to the body.

Past Tense : doTERRA's essential oil TENSION BLEND (AKA the love of my life)

If I could only have 2 essential oils with me in this life they would be Wild Orange (of course!) and Past Tense.  I was without Past Tense for a few weeks and they were the most horrible weeks!!!  I have a lot of stress and my stress immediately shows itself in the form of tension from my shoulders up to the base of my skull.  It is HORRIBLE!  I feel like I am carrying 50 lbs on my neck.  Past Tense is the ONLY oil that works for me to get rid of that horrible tension.

I finally got a new Past Tense and believe me I will never be without it again!   I can't handle life without it.

I've been getting a really horrible pain - right where the rib cage meets - it's like a cylinder of pain that just goes straight through to my back and radiates outward.  It makes it hard to breathe, or else I feel like it's hard to breathe even though I actually can.  I should probably go to the doctor... I'll have to get on that.  Anyway, it's been happening more frequently and usually takes about 30 minutes to go away and when it does it just vanishes.  It's weird.

I thought maybe it's gas, maybe I have asthma, maybe it's stress related, maybe it's an allergic reaction, but the circumstances leading up to the pain are always completely different!

I have tried a bunch of oils for it.  I have treated myself with anxiety oils, digestive blends, etc., etc.  Finally I discovered that Breathe seemed to lighten it up a bit, so I started just breathing that in.  This is when I thought I might have asthma.  It helped, but it wouldn't really get rid of the issue.  Then one day I really felt like I should try Past Tense, so with some of my very last drops I rubbed Past Tense where the most pain was near my rub cage and then on the opposite side (on my back).  I am not kidding you, 2 minutes later the pain was GONE!  VANISHED!

I literally NEED this blend in my life.  It is AWESOME!

Sweet tooth means you WANT candy...

I hope you enjoy this. We are huge Kid History fans and this had us laughing forever. I almost peed my pants. Hahaha.