Months and months went by before I learned the concept of speaking positively about my illness...now I don't just mean to others, I mean to myself as well. I would tell myself that this was not easy, this wasn't fun, I am sick, I am ill, I'm never going to heal, I'm going to die, why me?, I'm too young for this....I didn't realize that by telling myself these things I was creating the "reality" and also creating a permanent state of "chronic illness" in my body.
I would get quite aggravated by others telling me not to be so negative. I focused so much on battling others opinions of myself and my situation that I stayed in a negative state of mind...for 3 looooooooooong years.
It wasn't until someone brought to my attention that "speaking clean" is actually a method of healing and can literally change the chemistry in your body to prepare itself to heal and the immune system can kick into overdrive. WOW! I had no idea these two were related.
Negative thoughts and talking produce dangerous levels of "Cortisol" in the body
As I moved through my research and study I found out that thinking negative thoughts and saying negative things to myself and others actually increases the amount of cortisol production in the body.
In case you don't know what cortisol is, it is hormone that is naturally produced by the body. Normal levels of Cortisol are supposed to convert proteins into energy, releasing glycogen and counteract inflammation.
On the other end of the spectrum having continuous high cortisol levels in the body destroy healthy muscle and bone, slow down healing and normal cell regeneration, biochemicals needed to make other vital hormones, impair digestion, metabolism and mental function, interfere with healthy endocrine function; and weaken your immune system. (Wow sounds like I am adding more fuel to my "toxic mold" fire? you think?).
Positive thoughts and talking produce high levels of "Oxytocin" in the body
After realizing that negative actions were a part of my illness I then decided to research what happens to the body when I say positive things, believe positive things and speak "clean" around me.
Thinking positively, speaking positively and speaking to ones self positively produce high levels of Oxytocin in the body. If you are not sure what Oxytocin is, it is hormone that is naturally produced by the body. Normal levels of Cortisol are supposed to convert proteins into energy, releasing glycogen and counteract inflammation.
On the other end of the spectrum having continuous high cortisol levels in the body destroy healthy muscle and bone, slow down healing and normal cell regeneration, biochemicals needed to make other vital hormones, impair digestion, metabolism and mental function, interfere with healthy endocrine function; and weaken your immune system. (Wow sounds like I am adding more fuel to my "toxic mold" fire? you think?).
After realizing that negative actions were a part of my illness I decided to research what happens to the body when I say positive things, believe positive things and speak "clean" around me.
Speak healing and positive words to others about your illness and to yourself even when the symptoms seem unbearable.
Here are some positive things you can say instead of the things above:
Today is a new day
I love myself
_____________ makes me happy
This is going to get easier
I can still have fun...let me go watch something funny so I can laugh
I won't be ill for that long
I'm going to heal very soon
I still have my whole life ahead of me...I just need some downtime right now..it's good for me.
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18
A cheerful heart is good medicine… ~ Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. ~ Proverbs 15:30
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ~ Ephesians 4:29
Jennifer is the founder of Surviving Toxic Mold and was exposed to toxic mold from 2010-2012 in a rental home. You can read her story HERE
Ever wondered how to grow a successful garden muchless grow one indoors?
Keeping mold and mycotoxins out of your body starts with eating a "clean" diet. Many fruits and vegetables sold in stores today contain mold, mycotoxins, bacteria and worse: Pesticides. Start taking control of your health and detox your body with your own homegrown vegetable garden, indoors.
Check out this awesome infographic from Fix.com They've taken the guesswork out of how to make it successful by creating this awesome chart you can print out and put in your garage or garden shed.
When I was super sick for over a year it became difficult and almost impossible for me to go shopping and buy the very things I needed just to get well.
Although I had two teenagers that helped me tremendously I still felt that trying to get in a car and go to a store more than once a week became almost impossible.
As you know, running out of products or supplements don't always time perfectly and it seems that you need to leave your home on multiple occasions throughout the week.
Being very ill with mold, epstein-barr virus and Lyme Disease did not allow me to leave the home but once....to get my meat and vegetables for my MOLD DETOX DIET. Because this put such a phycial strain on me I researched ways I could possibly get items to my house without me having to leave home. The only problem I saw was I ended up spending SO MUCH money on shipping costs..........until I found "Amazon Prime".
Here are some of the ways I used Prime in 2013 and 2014:
To buy my household cleaning supplies to keep my home "mold free" (baking soda, borax, vinegar, ammonia)
To buy my Vitamins
To buy detox supplements
To buy personal products (toilet paper, non toxic shampoos, non toxic soaps)
To buy birthday presents for my family and kids when I could not go shopping
To buy all of my Christmas gifts because during Christmas I could not leave the home
To buy more comfortable clothes while I was so sick
To buy things my kids needed when I was not able to take them shopping
and much more...................
With the cost of Prime I saved on 11 months of shipping. Each month I was buying so many products and supplements that I was spending through various websites well over $100 in shipping fees. I was releaved to pay Amazon a one time $99 fee so that for the rest of the year I could order "ANYTHING" at "ANYTIME" .........WITHOUT any shipping costs.
Here are the main features of the Amazon Prime program: You pay ONLY $99.00 for a One Year Prime membership
THE FIRST 30 DAYS ARE FREE - $99 doesn't hit your card until after the first month so enjoy all the FREE shipping you want.
Free - 2 day shipping on online orders
You can order one product or one hundred products and still get FREE 2 day shipping
FREE Prime Instant Video - This is very similar to Netflix. (Netflix costs $96.00 per year)
FREE Prime music
FREE Prime Kindle owners lender library
Posted by: Jennifer Cannon AT 08:55 pm
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I have struggled and am struggling more than ever with inflammation. This can be inflammation of the brain, your gut and even your skin or muscles. Since I started having issues with this I've been doing some research that can help me.
Obviously one of the biggest problems is with what we are putting into our bodies: Foods, drinks and even our environment. First off, make sure you are eating a MOLD DETOX DIET in order to keep inflammatory foods away from your body.
I am by no means an expert when it comes to healing my gut or keeping inflammation under control, but I do a lot of research so that I can better help myself and others at the same time.
In my research I've compiled a list of some great inflammatory foods that I have added to my diet:
Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation. To get the benefits, however, you need to eat fish several times a week, and it should be cooked in healthy ways.
Cherries (Caution: Do not eat fruit if you are detoxing on the strict one month or two month mold detox diet period)
Carrots and their amazing "Anti-Fungal" properties
Are Carrots friend or foe for a person exposed to Mold?
When I first found out my symptoms were related to being exposed to Toxic Mold I knew that diet was going to be at the forefront of my recovery.
However, not everyone who is dealing with Candida was directly exposed to toxic mold in their home or environment. But I encourage anyone who is interested in solving their Candida issues read this article as it was "life changing" for me.
I was given diets and protocols by many mold sufferers as well as even mold doctors.
One of the things that seemed to be a common debate was that of the "Carrot". I was told by 50% of the sources that carrot was NOT something I should consume because it was considered a root vegetable. After all root vegetables have a bad rap for harboring mold & fungus under the ground correct? Then the other 50% were telling me that no it was actually quite the opposite...that carrots had a natural anti-fungal property that prevents mold from getting into the carrot.
So I decided to do my own research and here is what I found:
Doug Kaufmann of "Know the Cause" has an ever-popular book called "The Fungus Link". Since then he's written a few other extensions of the book. He has been a pioneer in the field of relating molds and fungus to almost every known disease humans are currently facing. One of the conditions he focuses on quite a bit is that of "Candida". In his books he even talks about the benefits of Carrots as anti-fungal.
I began to research the subject more in depth by applying it straight to mold exposure and to my surprise I found a book by Kurt & LeAnn Billings called "MOLD: The War Within". In the book they referenced that they had used carrots in their juicing protocol to fight Candida.
My next step was to find the real scientific data to back it up. Being skeptical by nature I needed more proof as I didn't want to put something into my body that was going to keep me sick, Lord knows I had suffered enough already.
I ran across a surprisingly "AWESOME" research and laboratory test that gave me all the confidence I needed to move forward.
Aren't Carrots High in Sugar?
This might shock you and be something hard to wrap your head around, but carrots are NOT HIGH IN SUGAR. What?? "But I've been told this my whole life!!" Well, guess what...you've been told wrong. One carrot only contains 2.9 grams of sugar. This is slightly a tick above your average lemon. Remember, lemons and limes are the lowest sugar content of any fruit. One lemon contains approximately 1.5 grams of sugar.
Aren't carrots considered moldy because they grow underground?
No. Carrots have their own built-in antifungal protective chemical compounds. Purified ethanolic extracts of peeled and shreddedcarrots have an antimicrobial effect against a range of food-borne micro-organisms as well as Candida.
Sugar is killing you if you've been exposed to mold
Ok so what kind of foods am I supposed to be eating?
If I go shopping today what are just some basic things I need to buy to really take this serious?
What does fungus and mold need to survive in your body? It needs Sugar (or carbohydrates). The more sugar, grains and carbohydrates you consume the more active your fungus and mold problem becomes. After being exposed to toxic mold this fungus can live in your intestines, fat, blood, joints, and organs. You are continually feeding the fungus infection by eating additional fungus and sugar containing foods. The more fungus in your body the more mycotoxins they produce. The more mycotoxins in your body the more inflamation, rapidly forming diseases and pain you will have as a result of being exposed to toxic mold. Quickly after mold exposure, if unchecked you can develop cancer, lupus, MS, heart problems, brain damage, weight problems, skin diseases, diabetes, mental dysfunction and inflammatory and severe autoimmune disease.
You have to come to terms with the fact that you will NEVER recover from mold illness unless you go through a period of at least 90 days with absolutely NO sugar (at a minimum). Most often it takes about 12 months to make a full recovery. Sugar, grains and yeast are relentless.
Tried it my way....failed Tried to eat only a little sugar.....failed Tried to deny sugar was an issue....FAILED
No Sugars: No Processed Sugar, No Sweeteners, No Natural Sugars (Except raw unfiltered honey or monk fruit), Limit fruits (except the few I have on the shopping list that specifically have a low glycemic index and are low in sugar).
(PLEASE COMMENT BELOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC: questions, comments, statements etc. This is how we break through and learn).
Green beans are great for those recovering from toxic mold or for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet.
Green beans are a great nutritional source. In fact, green beans have over 211 grams of pottassium so if you are looking to boost your potassium levels this is a way to add these into your diet.
My simple and fast way to prepare green beans make it easier than sitting around all day and snapping the ends off of beans.
Here is my simple and quick method of preparing beans:
Wash beans under water and for those recovering from mold exposure I suggest soaking the beans in a water solution after rinsing of 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The baking soda will kill off any mold spores that might be lurking in the green beans.
Get a cutting board, sharp knife and a solid surface to work on.
Place the uncut beans in the middle and line up 4-5 beans at a time and cut off the ends. Turn that group of beans around and repeat.
Once you are done cut the beans into 1-2 inch pieces.
Place these "cut" pieces to the left.
Research Sources: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2903?qlookup=11052&max=25&man=&lfacet=&new=1
1 Green Zucchini (Organic)
1 CUP each of the following cut up vegetables: (All organic) Red Pepper, Celery, Broccoli
Fill up stock pot or slow cooker 3/4 full. For every quart of water add one tablespoon of organic olive oil. So for 2 gallons I use 4 tablespoons of oil. Add minced garlic. Add Himalayan Pink salt for taste. DO NOT over salt.
Add Chicken to stock pot and cook on low/med heat for one hour until chicken pulls apart. This will make a nice chicken stock.
Blend mince the Home Grown Basil and Oregano and add to pot. Add remaining cut up vegetables (EXCEPT the ZUCCHINI) and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook for an additional 15 min. Remove from heat immediately.
Add, Serve or freeze in individual ziploc bags for easy fast soups.
SYMPTOMS: Symptoms are usually the #1 indicator that you have been exposed to toxic mold in your environment. The first step is to identify your symptoms. Most victims will exhibit one, ten or up to twenty or more of these symptoms on a daily basis. Here is a VERY detailed list of symptoms. I have listed them A-Z.
Acne (even after a healthy diet free of sugars and fried foods)
Alzheimer's symptoms without a "Dimentia" diagnosis (brain scan/people under 60)
Anxiety/Anxiety Attacks/Panic Attacks/GAD
Asthma Symptoms
Blotchy Skin
Blurred Vision
Brain Fog (Present but not present in the mind)
Bumps on skin (that cannot be diagnosed by a doctor)
Congitive function disorder
Calculation difficulties (Numbers, lists putting things in order)?
Chemical sensitivity (Sudden onset)
Chronic Fatigue
Cold hands or feet
Cold fingers/Hot fingers (some are cold and some are hot simultaneously)
Cough: Constant unexplained coughing
Delayed healing for viruses, colds, wounds etc.
Depression
Drunk feeling (without any other known cause: no medications, food or poisons that you are aware of)
Dysequilibrium
Eye Twitching
Facial flushing
Fainting feeling (without actually fainting)
Fatigue
Fight or Flight feeling (losing control/feeling like you are going to die)
Food Sensitivities: (New onset of food sensitivities especially grains, carbs, breads, sugar)
Fulness or pressure in the ear canal
GI Issues
Green stool
Hair Loss
Headaches
Heart Palpitations (no known reason...just all of a sudden feel your heart beat funny then go back to normal)
High Blood Pressure
Insomnia
Intolerance of bright lights
Joint aches and pain
Jolts: Feeling of an electrical pulse running through your brain, arms or legs
Lightheadedness
Loss of Balance
Low Potassium Levels (even with a balanced potassium rich diet)
Memory disturbance
Muscle Weakness: severe
Mood Changes
Narcolepsy Symtpoms (falling asleep quickly)
Nervousness and Jittery feeling constantly
Nightmares: Frequent/Unusual
Nightmares: Night Terrors (Extreme Fear)
Numbness and tingling (especially in finders)
Rage: Getting extremely upset about mundane things (suddenly)
Rapid heart rate when doing normal activities ie: sitting, standing or laying down (absent of a known heart condition)
Ringing in ears
Scratchy throat that won't go away
Seizures
Severe Allergies
Shortness of Breath
Sinus Infections that keep reoccurring
Skin Changes
Sleep disturbance (Being awaken several times during sleep for no other known medical reason)
Speech: Saying the wrong words or repeating the same things over and over again
Speech: Talking in excess about everything that is on your mind (Others notice you are talking way too much)
Thinking: Can't think of the right words to say
Thinking: Can't remember simple things like words, events, methods, descriptions, definitions.
Tingling in the scalp: Feeling an electrical type sensation move over your hair and scalp
Twitching in Fingers: When hands are still fingers move and twitch on their own
Twitching legs: Legs move or twitch on their own when standing
Vertigo: Sensation that the room is tilted and moving around you
Vertigo brought on by concentration
Vision changes: (Sudden extreme or sudden mild vision changes needing an eye exam)
Vision: Seeing halos around everything (White borders)
Weakness: Overall body and mind weakness (more than normal)
Here is another great article posted by www.HealthExtremist.com Check out her site...it's awesome!!
SOURCE: http://www.healthextremist.com/indoor-plants-that-clean-the-air-and-remove-toxins/ Indoor Plants that Clean the Air and Remove Toxins
Do you have any plants in your home? Typically, the indoor air quality is significantly worse than it is outside. There are several steps you can take to greatly improve the indoor air quality in your home. One way this can be done, is by having several indoor plants that clean the air and reduce toxins.
Several years ago NASA studied houseplants and their ability to purify the air in indoor spaces. They found that certain plants were better at filtering the air and removing volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) than others.
Why Indoor Plants that Clean the Air Improve Health
Not only are indoor plants beneficial for increasing oxygen levels in our homes, they have also been found to reduce the toxins in the air we are breathing.
The air in our homes has been shown to contain harmful toxins which ultimately end up in our bodies. Whether the toxins are from building materials, paint, out-gassing carpets, dust, or flame retardants, the levels of these toxins in the air can be reduced.
These plants can reduce many air pollutants including formaldehyde, microbial pathogens, benzene and microbial pathogens.
How Many Should You Have in Your Home
According to NASA it is recommended that you have about 15 to 18 of these plants in your home (this was recommended for a 1800 sq foot home). Remember to also place at least one plant in your bedroom, preferably more.
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, these indoor plants that clean the air are very easy to take care for and require little work.
6 Indoor Plants that Clean the Air:
These plants are the most beneficial for improving indoor air quality. You should be able to find all of these plants locally.
1. Aloe
Aloe plants are very beneficial for increasing oxygen levels in your home. They have also been found to absorb formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. According to Earthship, one pot of aloe is equivalent to nine biological air cleaners.
2. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Spider plants are able to perform photosynthesis under minimal lighting. They aid in absorbing toxins in the air including formaldehyde, styrene, carbon monoxide, and benzene. One spider plant is able to effectively filter a room of 200 square feet.
3. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
English ivy is another great indoor plant that removes toxins. This plant has been shown to reduce 60% of airborne mold and 58% of airborne feces after being placed in a room for only 6 hours!
4. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum ’Mauna Loa’)
Having a peace lily in your home greatly reduces the chemical toxins in the air. Peace lily plants filter out harmful benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde.
5. Snake Plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata‘Laurentii’)
This indoor plant that cleans the air is just about indestructible, if your looking to start out with easy to care for plant, this would be the one to choose. Snake plants aid in removing toxins from the air and require little to no lighting.
6. Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
Rubber plants excel at removing toxins from the air, particularly formaldehyde. These plants require minimal lighting and also easy to care for. Note: the leaves can be toxic, so if you have any pets in your home, be careful.
Want More Variety?
NASA also listed the following plants as beneficial for improving the indoor air quality in homes. These plants may be more difficult to find locally, but if you come across any of these plants, be sure to pick one up!
Is mold making you sick? Put the effects of Toxic Mold behind you!!
Do you think you might have mold in your home, place of business or school? Are you or someone you love suffering from an unknown illness that doctors can't diagnose? Is mold making you sick? Go to our Step by Step and start Surviving Toxic Mold.
When I was super sick for over a year it became difficult and almost impossible for me to go shopping and buy the very things I needed just to get well.
In my research I've compiled a list of some 
What does fungus and mold need to survive in your body? It needs Sugar (or carbohydrates). The more sugar, grains and carbohydrates you consume the more active your fungus and mold problem becomes. After being exposed to toxic mold this fungus can live in your intestines, fat, blood, joints, and organs. You are continually feeding the fungus infection by eating additional fungus and sugar containing foods. The more fungus in your body the more 
Green beans are great for those recovering from toxic mold or for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet.
