2015 the year of TSW

It's been almost 2.5 years since one of the worst periods of my life... I have never written about it because well it is a time in my life that I wanted to forget.  I didn't want to relive any of it and I was embarrassed.  Until now, because well I have realized that I am over the trauma and now I feel like if I can help just 1 person who is living with eczema or with TSW (Topical Steroid Withdrawal) then it is worth trying.  So I am going to be vulnerable with you all, and share my story. 

In 2015 my eczema became the worst its ever been since I was a kid or at least since I can remember.  I was going to the dermatologist almost weekly to try everything they could think of.  Test after test, cream after cream, prednisone for weeks, and the start of photo light therapy.  My skin was getting worse and worse and it was affecting my life so much that I could barley work, I couldn't take care of my kids, and I fell into depression.  

Finally after hours and hours, night after night of researching, I came across TSW or Topical Steroid Withdrawal and also the 'Flawless Program'.   After a week of hesitation I took a leap of faith and I signed up for the Flawless program.  When I received it, I stayed up all night reading and it was like everything started to make sense.  Basically this program explained why my eczema was getting worse, why it never cleared up, and why I have been dealing with this my whole life.  You guys, I cried with happiness because in all my life, this was what I had been waiting for.  What I had wanted to hear from doctors but never did.  It gave me hope that someday I could be freed of this horrible disease and freed from steroid creams.

So that next day, I went cold turkey with my asthma medication and all the steroids I was on to "control" my eczema.  The idea behind it all was this:

When I was little, I had eczema (dry skin and itchy to the point of making myself bleed).  My mom took me to the dermatologist.  He prescribed hydrocortisone cream.  My mom put that on my spots and it cleared it up.  Then it came back and so she continued to put cream on to help my eczema.  This cycle of having eczema, going to the doctor, and him prescribing higher doses of steroid creams each time continued for 32 years.  By this time in 2015, I was using the highest dose of steroid cream and it wasn't helping.  My skin was so thin that any time I itched which was always, it would break open.  So I started on Prednisone which is a steroid taken everyday by mouth that helped clear it up but made me feel horrible and was not a fix but a band aid.

Christina the founder of the flawless program was the first person to tell me that all this time, my skin was actually addicted to steroids!! I mean how did I not think of that before? That is what steroids do... they are addictive in nature.  So every time my skin showed signs of what I thought was eczema it was actually just my skin saying "give me steroids".   And the reality was for most of my life, I probably didn't even have eczema but instead my skin was addicted to steroids and when it didn't have it, it flared up and showed signs of dry rashy itchy and cracking skin (which is what dermatologists look for when diagnosing eczema).

So her program was extreme and broken down into stages.  The program was to help guide me to rid my body of all steroids and help repair my skin function, and my body's auto immune system.  To do this, you stop all medications and change my eating habits toward foods that are easily digestible, anti-inflammatory, and healing for skin.  This meant not only was I not able to eat gluten, dairy or sugar of any kind, but that hundreds of other grains,vegetables, fruit, and meat were off limits.  Foods that are healthy for skin were allowed only. (ie. grass fed beef, rice, cooked vegetables, and sweet potatoes)  And the reason why the diet was so extreme was because as I started to realize the symptoms of going off topical steroids are by far the worst thing I have ever been through.  So by changing your diet, you are helping the symptoms diminish and helping your skin repair from the inside out.  

Every inch of my skin was itchy, red, inflamed, and broke down.  I remember sitting in a HOT bath for hours just to take away the pain.  This was my lowest.  I couldn't do anything else.  I was just too itchy.  So for 9 months this continued and was told each step of the way what to look for next and to keep going and that it gets worse before it gets better.  I also kept up with going to photo-light therapy twice a week.  This is going to the dermatology office and stepping into a total body UVB light rays for a few seconds - a couple minutes.  The light helps decrease inflammation, increase vit. D, and "sanitizes" the raw skin.  You do get a tiny burn each time, but I swear by it, and I know it helped me during this withdrawal phase.  

At about 6 months I hit the worst of it.  But weeks after this, it was like something shifted.  My symptoms were exactly on point with the program and my skin started to heal and change.  The last 3 months my skin was looking so much better but my body when through the worst itching I have ever had.  It was constantly itching.  But it was all mental. My brilliant mother suggested using a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)machine.  This is a small devise that I kept on my body all day and night and hooked up the leads to where ever was the itchiest place.  When I had an itch, I cranked up the machine and it delivered a electric impulse to that area which gave it a shock of pain.  But... the pain would make my itch go away.... it was a miracle! So instead of itching and breaking my skin, I could instead endure a little pain to that area  and then with in seconds it would stop.  I did this for about 3 months and finally 9-11 months later my body was healed.  I no longer was having flare ups, I no longer had itching, my skin had NEVER looked better.  Also eating so healthy helped me lose all the baby weight which was an added bonus.  I was the happiest I had ever been in a long time.  It changed my life, it saved my life, and I owe it all to Christina who had the gut to design a program and inform others of what doctors still to this day do not understand.

Fast forward 2.5 years and I haven't touched any steroid creams and never will again!  For me, because I do have eczema and extremely dry skin, everyday I use Cetaphil cleanser and Cetaphil lotion and essential oils.  I also have found some tried and true companies that I could highly recommend.  Together I have a non-toxic skin regimen and although I get the occasion skin flare up still from eczema, I know how to treat it naturally.  I didn't need to keep up the strict diet because my body can function properly now and can fight the natural inflammation that happens with eating food that is not so great for you.  When I do have the occasional flare up, I can almost pin point now what caused it.  Be it food I ate or if I have been stressed out.  Stress for me is a huge factor in my eczema.   I notice that when I am feeling anxiety or worried and I almost always start itching my hands.  This is where essential oils have been a huge game changer.  Using essential oils to keep my stress low and my anxiety under control.

I can only pray that other people will understand the consequences steroid creams have.  I pray that people will stop putting them on their kids.  I pray that people who suffer from eczema will be able to sift through all the eczema "cures" and find the same information I have... I pray for these people every day.  

If you know anyone who deals with eczema, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.  I will forever be on a mission to educate.  

xoxo

My Daily Routine with Oils

I thought it would be fun to do a post about my daily routine using essential oils.  I am fairly new to the oil community but have been enjoying every minute of it.  My favorite thing about essential oils is that 1 oil can be used in so many different ways.  You can never choose a wrong oil.  You don't have to be worried about overdosing, and you don't have to worry about side effects. (Keep in mind, other brands could be very different depending on how they are made, so everything here is using doTerra)

For this post I am just going to briefly lay out what I do each and every day on day that I am working and days that I am home with the kids. 

My Everyday Routine:

• After breakfast, I take my doTerra vitamins, Zyrtec + TriEase for my allergies (Most people would be able to just take TriEase for their allergies... this is the worst time of year for me, and I have to take Zyrtec and then now I can take TriEase as a added relief.
•  FYI: I actually got all these vitamins for free! Being a member gets you significant discounts and lots and lots of free products )

• I also put 1 drop of Balance on my wrist and then rub them together. 

• As I am getting ready for the day, I always put 1 drop of Frankincense into my regular lotion (Cetaphil) and apply it to my face.  - Because of my skin issues, I am not able to use any fancy face lotions, so by applying Frank with my regular lotion it helps fight wrinkles, and gives my skin a glow, and helps me feel more awake and alert without adding more chemicals that irritate my skin. 

• Throughout the day I diffuse oils.  The type of oil will vary and day to day and sometimes will change in the evening as well.  Usually if my kids are sick or have been sick I tend to diffuse OnGuard alot.  OnGuard cleans the air.  Gets rid of germs and also help our immunities.  I also like to diffuse Serenity.  I usually do this in the evenings when I need my kiddos to be calm and start to wind down before bed.  
• The serenity roller ball is 1/3 Serenity + Carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil).  This is another easy way to apply it to your kids! I put on the back of their neck or on there wrists. 

•  During the day I carry around my glass water bottle.  I put 2-3 drops of Lemon and then fill the rest with water.  Lemon helps detox your body and really it just tastes better and really is more tempting than plain water.  - If were honest here, I am usually double fist'ing with water in one hand, and coffee in another.  

On Working days: 

• I add InTune oil to both sides of my temples when I am feeling tird or bored of work.  My job is pretty intense and I have to be on point every second!  There is no room for mistakes in Radiation Therapy.  This oils helps so much!  I put a little on the sides of my temples throughout my day and I truly feel more focused on what I am doing.  Great for school or really anything that is needing your full attention!  Love it!

• At night I have a diffuser right next to me on my bed stand and I like to diffuse Breathe to help keep my airways open.  See post here.

• I also LOVE using Cedarwood.  I put a drop on my big toes, and sometimes a drop on the back of my ears.  This oil is one of my FAVORITES.  It is so addicting because it helps not only get me to sleep, but also puts me in a deep sleep where I actually have dreams.  As a mom, I can't tell you how valuable sleep is.  However, I think I can speak for most moms out there, that once you have kids, even if your normally a deep sleeper, you tend to be on edge or waiting for your child to wake up. My husband has no idea what this means haha... which is why he never hears our kids wake up in the middle of the night! :)  This oil just helps speed up the process of going from a light sleep to a deep sleep faster!  So you can finally enjoy some of that REM sleep your significant other gets every night.
• The roller ball is 1/3 Cedarwood + a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil).  I use this for my kids.  Not every night, but when they wont go to sleep or when I know they are cranky and are in need of some great sleep.

I can't tell you how much oils have changed my life.  Most significantly with my kids and how I treat their hurts, moods, sickness, and even infections!  For myself, my life has consisted of constant reading labels and not being able to use normal products that most people use in their daily routines.  The oil smells alone are such a uplifting treat for me each day.  One of my biggest goals this year is to learn more and also to transition my life into more healthy eating for my family.  I am curious about using these oils for cooking and for helping our family with detoxing.  Does anyone have experience with this?   Another goal is to figure out these darn allergies and eczema of mine before I decide to move again! I hope this was helpful for anyone out there that is curious about essential oils and how they can benefit.  I plan on posting every so often with how I use my favorites so stay tuned!  

Also, how do you guys like my new blog look?  I think it's pretty fabulous!  Loving watercolor everything and my amazingly talented sister created my beautiful header!  Thanks Dre, your the best 

xoxo

Breathe

In the beginning of my journey with oils, I started out very naive and very out of the loop about essential oils.  I was diagnosed with Asthma as a small baby and have had to deal with this condition my entire life.  My inhaler and I are literally connected at the hip with my portable neutralizer very close by.  After years of going to different doctors with different protocols, I finally was given Advair which I have take for over 8 years.  There was finally a medicine that worked for me however the feeling of being attached to a steroid that after prolonged use can cause lung damage just left me feeling hopeless and worried about my future.  

Needless to say, I was in the market for something different.  A new miracle drug.  Something that made sense. 

One night I was looking on Instagram and came upon someone who had said she replaced her inhaler with essential oils.  I was so intrigued I continued on looking through her posts and then decided I would do a little more research.  I started looking up what essential oils were and ended up reading blog after blog about how people incorporate them into their life.  I ended up sending a message to the girl who I found on Instagram.  I asked her how she went off her inhaler and well it for some reason made so much sense and really I was willing to try anything.  I researched so many different brands and almost went with Young Living.  I still do think they have great oils and they do have community just like doTERRA did.  But I ended up going with doTERRA because:

My doTERRA Pitch...

I researched the company for hours past my bedtime and I had that feeling you get when you know you found something special.  After weeks of research and going back and forth I finally felt like do Terra was the right company for me and my family.  Not only was doTERRA slightly cheaper but their website was full of information that I couldn't find anywhere else.  Anther HUGE selling point for me was that they go world wide in collecting their oils.  Each oil that you buy is sourced from the country that is indigenous to that plant.  For example, if you were given a chance to eat a Lemon from Washington State or a Lemon from Italy, which do you think would taste better?  From Italy of course, and that is exactly where they get the Lemon oil.  Instead of growing their own farms and own plants to make the supply, they go to the farms that the plant actually naturally grows in. And they give jobs to thousands of workers who really know the plant and really need the opportunity.

How I got off Advair!...

 I started following people on Instagram and hearing and looking for testimonies.  I ordered the doTERRA physician kit and it had a blend called Breathe.  I wasn't sure what it was until I found a post on Instagram.  She had a picture of an inhaler and said that she was completely off her inhaler of 20 years.  At this point I was truly intrigued and tried this oil the very next time I couldn't breathe.  And then reality hit, because it didn't work!  I felt like I could breathe as I was literally breathing it in, however 30 seconds after I stopped I couldn't breathe again.  I did my inhaler, and felt very bummed and irritated that it wasn't that miracle I had hoped it would be.  So instead of giving up, I asked her... I poured my thoughts on her, and she responded!  She explained that every person is different and that I would need to keep trying other oils and gave me different ideas of how to use the oils.  I tried and tried.  I had hope in them.  I saw other oils work in our family and I was on a mission to figure out how to get off my steroids.  

So I went all in.  I went off Advair and for 2-3 weeks.  I would first try the breathe oil with others to find the right combination.  Slowly I realized that I could breathe in the oils and then just do 1 puff of my inhaler and that worked.  Then 1 day I tried just Breathe and it worked! It wasn't instant like an inhaler, but after several drops, several cupping inhalations, and resting for 10 mins or so it actually worked and I didn't need my inhaler at all.  I can say now that I have been off Advair for almost 1 month.  It seriously feels AMAZING.  I do on occasion when I'm in a hurry still do need that 1 puff of my inhaler, but really knowing that I am not dependent on it is seriously something that I have never felt before, I mean literally ever!   As I look back on those 2-3 weeks of this oil not working, I realized that my body was fighting and needing those steroids.  Once I had rid myself of that dependence, I was able to benefit from a natural way of decreasing inflammation and opening my airways with this "miracle" oil.  

I truly do hope that by me sharing this story I can somehow help someone else out there who is dealing with asthma.  Someone who feels hopeless and someone who is sick and tired of using steroids to prevent asthma attacks.  Someone who is sick of that feeling of your heart racing when you take your 2 puffs of that Albuterol, and getting that sore throat afterwards.  This oil really is such a blessing and although I go through ALOT of it each month controlling my asthma, I can say that it is soo worth it!  Being able to breathe with a natural and benefiting way is more than I had dreamed of. 

Renewed Health + Essential Oils

I wanted to start a new series about my journey in Essential Oils.  It is something that is near and dear to my heart and after about 3 months of using them I feel confident enough to share my story.   I have sooo much more to learn, I mean 3 months really is not a long time and I feel like I have just started this journey and know that each day will bring more knowledge and more confidence in them. 

My Beginning: As a lot of you all know, I have had a pretty rough go at health in my life.  // With that I have to say that I do know how blessed and extremely grateful that I do not have severe disabling diseases, heart conditions, cancer, pain, I could go on and on... //  But for me, my asthma, eczema, and allergies have ruled my life and have been disabling in many ways in my day to day life. 

Hearing the stories my mother tells about my childhood, I am grateful that by the grace of God, I really can't remember most of them.  I do remember my view on my conditions and most of them revolve around my skin.  Staying up all night itching myself until I bleed, because well honestly that was when the itching stopped and the burning started which was a more pleasant feeling for me.  Being ashamed of how I looked, being embarrassed when people stared, and feeling like I had to hide when I felt itchy because everyone one around me would say "Lynn, stop itching" like it was easy to do... It was hard.  I mean really hard.  But looking back at all the crying, the frustration, the anger to God that I had for not taking it away, I can honestly see now that I wouldn't be who I am today with out those experiences.  I would not wish it on anyone, and I am sure there are other ways to teach compassion but I know that I have a different way that I see the sick, the broken, the embarrassed than most other people do.

 - On a side note... one of my biggest fears in my life was that my kids would have my health problems.  I truly was scared for years to get pregnant and "pass it on".  I finally decided to trust God, pray nearly 10 times a day during each pregnancy and thankfully so far, with the exception of Rhone's slight eczema, neither one has them!!!-

So, on a lighter note, and why I wanted to do this series on Essential oils.  About 5 months ago, I was at a point in my life here in WA that I was ready to move again!  My allergies, asthma, and skin were soo bad that I didn't think we could live here anymore.  I was frustrated. I didn't want to move again and I didn't know where we should go... I realized that in a way moving state to state every couple years was me and my husbands way of "running" away from my allergies and trying to find that perfect place where I could be "normal".  Everywhere I am I seem to be allergic to everything in our environment, which triggers my asthma and eczema.  After coming to the realization that we couldn't move to that imaginary no allergy land, I started diving into researching other alternatives.  I had tried new doctors, new medicine, new creams, new regimens, new ideas after new ideas and non of them lasted more than 1 month.  I was at the point where I needed something completely new, completely different, and a "miracle drug".  That is when I happened upon Essential oils.  -- Let me say first that after 2 minutes of reading I realized that this was in no way going to be a "miracle" but it was something that was worth trying.  It's funny, I actually have been exposed to oils years ago by both my mother in laws.  But I was so brainwashed with living 30 years in prescription steroids that I dismissed oils and thought those might work on them, but there is NO WAY they would work on me.  Fast forward 3+ years and here I am confessing that I was wrong and that they really can work on anyone!! 

I have implemented doTerra oils in to my day to day for not just myself but for my husband and kids as well! Actually the biggest benefit for KC and I with using oils in with our kids.  Giving them a great start to living healthy and clean is the best thing I can do for them.  Another extra bonus is less doctor visits.  I have some anxiety each time I think I need to take them to the doctor, not because of what is going on, but for some reason, no matter how much sanitizer I make them use, or how instructing them to use their elbow and not their hands lol... one of them seems to get sick after our appointment.  It is a $25 copay followed up by colds for everyone. ugh!  So having oils and knowing how to be preventive and giving the means of treatment gives me so much peace of mind! 

-- why doTerra? and about my asthma coming soon!