Gall Bladder

Thank you very much for all of you who have been praying for my health over the last several years. I'm doing much better, but I want to share something that happened a few days ago.😱

I have been doing a liver flush that I learned in conjunction with my Plexus biz. 😎 I have done one before and I really didn't see much. After that we went to the wedding in MI. 😍😍😍

My belly has continued to be uncomfortable since my gallbladder surgery 2 years ago. I've continued to feel as if I had another large gallstone! Even though it, along with my gallbladder, was removed then. It was septic and it was taken on an emergency basis. I knew that I had a very large -- golf ball sized! -- stone in there for at least 15 years, but I had been asymptomatic all that time. Fast forward to 2 years ago.

As I said, I continued to experience some discomfort, even though it had been removed. I knew that I could continue to produce stones without the gallbladder, but in this country they don't give you the option of them just removing the stones surgically, as they do elsewhere. Well, I learned WHY I was experiencing such discomfort on Friday!

As part of the liver cleanse, I had to do some fairly aggressive things to clean myself out. In the afternoon, I found a fairly large piece of plastic in the toilet!!! 😱😱😱😱
It looked rather like a Lego only with the bumps being concave rather than convex. It was about 2" long, 3/4" wide and 1/2" deep. Explains so much!! And, no, I didn't save it. 😶🙄😮

Anyway, I'm feeling better this morning. I was counseled to continue to do the cleanse yesterday and I passed MANY stones over the course of the day! Thank you for praying for me. I'm sure this is a big part of what was keeping me down, at least belly-wise. Now, I can continue to truly get well 😍😍😍😎🤩🤩🤩

This is what I have experienced over the last few months.

This is what I have experienced over the last few months. Let me know if you want to improve your own health 💝💝💝

1. Seriously reduced food and environmental allergies 👏
2. Better digestive health 👍
3. I am no longer diabetic! 🙌
4. I actually sleep at night!
5. I have energy during the day
6. I rarely need naps anymore
7. I am no longer using pain meds!
8. My nerves are less damaged, by evidence of increased sensation
9. My hair is no longer falling out!
10. I can drive by myself
11. I have lost 3-4 dress sizes
12. I can go for walks by myself
13. I can mostly clean my house by myself
14. I can lift and carry things
15. I can wear normal shoes! 😎

I could keep going on, but I think that's enough 💝💝

 

💝

My story continued...

Hi!

I am with an international health and wellness company. I have a pretty remarkable story to share about their products.

Last Christmas, I was admitted to the hospital for 2.5 weeks after experiencing several small strokes II

I ended up coming home from the hospital with several “assistive devices,” and was considered a “fall risk” while I was there. That was NOT fun! My health had been deteriorating for a few years prior to this. I had been told that I needed a double knee replacement and I was about 100# over weight. Because of that, the surgeon I had consulted with, refused to do the surgery. Never mind! I didn't want it!

I don't do well with most prescription medications and I didn't want anyone cutting on me anymore! I'd already lost my gall bladder last year to it being “septic” (infected), and a few other organs in the past. God gave me all my parts for a reason.

Also, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and told I was diabetic with that “visit” for my gallbladder. No Fun! I didn't need meds, thankfully, but I was still a diabetic and my A1C was never perfect. I was reasonably close, but never perfect even though I was very careful with what I ate.

Anyway, my health just continued to deteriorate for a number of years, even though I had been an “alternative” cookbook writer back in the early 2000s. I had known about candida since I was just out of college and had tried several times to get rid of it, but never had been successful with my attempts. Finally, my friend, @elsa moss, reached out to me about Plexus. She felt I probably had an advanced candida infection. I agreed! However, nothing I had tried before had been successful. I agreed to try what she was offering, and for the first time, I began to improve! It wasn't a quick or easy fix, and I know that I've got a Long Way to go yet, (I've been sick my whole life,and I'm over 50 years old now.)

I can easily say that I've not had this quality of life in, probably, at least a decade or more.

One of my closest friends said I reminded her of what I was like about 10 years ago. I rarely need naps anymore, (I'd been diagnosed with adrenal exhaustion about 20 years ago), I have lots of energy to do what I need to do and my pain level is hardly even there anymore. I'd been diagnosed with severe arthritis in my 30s and also fibromyalgia. I hardly hurt at all! I'm also dropping sizes pretty rapidly, while being able to eat again. I have choices about what I can choose now, unlike just a few months ago, where my “acceptable foods” list was extremely short! Two years ago, when I lost my gallbladder, I was down to only being able to eat a handful of foods, and even those were causing me digestive issues. I even went on a very strict diet called SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet.) It was very difficult; even within the restrictions, there was little I could eat due to allergies!

Thank the Lord for my friend who was brave enough to talk with me about Plexus. It's truly been life changing! I was able to attend, and enjoy, both of my younger children's weddings this summer and fall. The way I was last year, I didn't know if I was going to even

make it to them! Praise the Lord! I am also no longer diabetic!

If my story strikes any chords with you, or if you think you might know someone who might benefit from these products, please feel free to contact me

I would love to be of any assistance that I can.

Blessings,

Sharron

Candida! Do you or a loved one experience these symptoms?

Candida! Do you or a loved one experience these symptoms?

Candida!

To some, this word has no meaning.  To others it's just another "disease."  I first heard about candida just after graduating from college.  I had all of the symptoms they listed at that time.  There are other symptoms, (most of which are themselves considered "diseases"), but the most common are:

• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fog
• Digestive issues
• Recurring yeast infections
• Oral thrush
• Sinus infections
• Food allergies/intolerances
• Fungal infections on the skin and nails
• A weak immune system
• Joint pain
• Low mood*

This is another list:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Chronic Sinusitis
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia
• Thrush
• Eczema, or Atopic Dermatitis
• Autism
• Leaky Gut Syndrome/Crohn’s/Ulcerative Colitis
• Interstitial Cystitis (IC)
• Celiac**

I really didn't know what to do about the condition, and a friend of mine was seeing a doctor who attempted to treat her condition.  She ended up being paralyzed from the treatments!!  She still is wheel chair bound some 30 years later.

Initially, I didn't do anything about the condition.  Later, when reading Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution, I learned more.  I felt it could be controlled with diet.  I also started self-treating with oil of oregano, as  he described in the book, and probably did that for 3-4 years around 2001.  Half a dozen years ago, I had some allergy testing and stool samples taken.  At that time, they found severe staph and strep infections.  There was also a candida infection.  I spent a year on specialized antibiotics attempting to clear these out.

In hind sight, probably all these things just made the candida organisms stronger!  I've recently begun taking a different type of probiotic -- one that actually has the enzymes to be able to break apart the tough outer shell of the candida organism.  I have heard it is like the shell of a cockroach.  No wonder I wasn't successful at just dealing with it by diet and essential oils!  Any idea how difficult it is to kill and get rid of cockroaches??  I located this description of chitinase -- the shell of the candida organism, on Wikipedia.  Basically it describes it as a pathogenic substance.  This was what I felt most significant, "Like cellulose, chitin is an abundant biopolymer that is relatively resistant to degradation." It can't be broken down easily -- meaning diet alone won't work!

Probio5, the probiotic formula I mention in this article

Since I published my most recent article, I've had a few folks tell me that they are controlling their candida with diet.  I have not found this to be entirely successful.  This is now my 3rd candida treatment.  (I had one before the special antibiotic.)  I've never previously been rid of the condition based on the fact that my food and chemical sensitivities continued to worsen.  If the candida was "under control" my allergies would be getting better.  They have only worsened until just recently. (See previous article.)

I would caution anyone against self-treatment as I have done it. I am currently being guided by others with experience.  I've become an "ambassador" with Plexus, which was founded by a team of physicians, and the group I'm in has several nurses and other health professionals as a part of it.  I'm definitely not doing this on my own!

Please, if you feel that you might have a candida-related condition, contact me.  I would love to help you work through it to health!  My email is sharlong@gmail.com.

 (I am not  recommending these sites for anything but information.)

*Reference:  https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-symptoms/ 

**Reference:  https://www.candidasupport.org/resources/candida-related-diseases/

Simultaneously published at http://icrecipesandtips.blogspot.com/2017/06/candida-do-you-or-loved-one-experience.html

How the Lord is working in me --- I'm been being healed of my food allergies, finally!

Last year, January 2016, I was admitted for emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder.  I had a huge gallstone, and apparently it was occluded.  I had actually known about the stone for about a dozen years.  It had been asymptomatic all that time. However, there I was having emergency surgery!  I did not recover well from the surgery.  I ended up back in the hospital something like four times over the next several months because of severe pain in my abdomen.

In January 2017, I was hospitalized for 2 1 /2 weeks, I had a severe urinary tract infection, very high blood pressure (HBP) and had experienced several small strokes.  I came home on 4 prescriptions for HBP.  However, I felt certain that God was going to give me a way out of this.  I’m an “alternative health writer,” and I really prefer the natural approach to things.  Usually I have very adverse reactions to medications.  Within a couple of weeks Elsa Moss, the mother of one of our camp’s volunteers, (my husband is the caretaker of a Bible camp), contacted me about Plexus.  At first, I thought I knew what she was talking about, then it dawned on me that I really didn’t.  I had been having the worst food allergies of my life, and my acceptable foods list was just a handful of items.  Elsa (E) and her ladies, (up-line), were able to help me through this and get me started. E sent me a bottle of Probio5,(on March 22, 2017), and I was counseled to start at ¼ to ½ capsule, opened because of my sensitivity to rice (in the capsules) and what they felt was the severity of my candida infection.  I had actually been treated for candida by two different doctors (ND and an allergist) and had done a lengthy self-treatment --  NONE of which worked.  I have been aware that I have candida since I was a young adult, so what they were telling me made a lot of sense!

Probio5

 I did start slowly, as they suggested, and began to experience pretty harsh die-off symptoms.  My belly got huge!  Seriously, it was as big as I was when I was very pregnant with my 3^rd child nearly 18 years ago, wearing a size 13 underwear!

Initially, I was having severe trouble with my eyes being very sensitive and red, and I had a very severe case of athlete’s foot.  I had huge blisters on my feet!  I could hardly even walk they were so painful!  I continued to take my Probio5 and use some essential oils for comfort, and within a few weeks my feet were clear.  My eyes are improving.

Another improvement I have noticed early on was the Lyme disease symptoms I had been experiencing (It was discovered that I had Lyme disease in my system by my natuopath last year.)  The major identifying factor was that I was running a sometimes quite high fever, (before Plexus!)  Even several weeks into the candida “treatment” I was still experiencing fevers, but not anything like what they were before.  Now,  I don’t have them anymore!

I’ve now been on the full Triplex for several weeks, (a little over 2 months.)  I was able to add in the other products at about 4 weeks into my Journey.  Previously, I had been unable to try them because of my allergies.  It seemed like there was something in just about every product Plexus had to which I was allergic!  However, at that point I felt I could add the Biocleanse, which helped me immensely with eliminating.  Also, E sent me a sample of the previous formulation of Slim.  I really liked it!  It really helped me to eliminate better.  It also gave me energy.  I also added in the Ease product to help with my pain which was mostly in my spine.  I have severe osteoarthritis and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  My doctor also thinks I fit the profile for MS, but I’m unwilling to undergo any further testing.  I’m also unwilling to take anymore medication!

As I’ve progressed on this current Candida cleanse, (using Probio5), I have mostly experienced severe bloating, as I mentioned, and very intense itching just about everywhere.  However, I’m beginning to have some REAL SOLID results!  As soon as I added the Nerve product, about 2 weeks ago, after just 2 capsules I began to have feeling in my big toe.  It had been completely numb since I had the small strokes at the beginning of the year.  My hair is beginning to come in thicker – I had been losing hair by the handful after I came home from the hospital in January of this year.  Now I hardly shed at all!  My nails are growing really quickly too.  I’ve lost about 6# and at least a couple of sizes VERY recently.  I’ve mostly been able to cut out the pain medication from the doctor.  I’ve been using the Ease product, as needed, for the pain.

Just a few days into the Candida cleanse, I had immediate results with my thyroid/adrenal glands.  I’d had testing done several years ago and I showed a marked adrenal insufficiency.  I’ve been taking natural products for them, (pretty expensive!), for the past couple of years.  Within a matter of days, I had to stop those supplements because I had way too much energy!  I was jittery all day when I used them and I had plenty of energy when I didn’t.  I also don’t need naps most of the time, and when I do; I have to limit them or I don’t sleep at night.  I can only manage about 7 hours of sleep, which was my norm in college and when my children were young and I was actively writing books.  Also, as evidence that my thyroid is functioning better, my eyebrows are beginning to fill out.

I’ve had an open sore in my nose since I had surgery to repair it at least a dozen years ago.  It’s actually healed.  That, also, only took a very short time to heal once I started the Probio5.

I know not everyone is on the lookout for something to help them get well, but I was.  Even though I’ve had several Candida treatments in my adult life, (this was the 4^th!)  This is the first one that is actually working.  I can tell because of all of these things above that I have listed.  I’m so thankful to E for sharing about Plexus with me! 

(The links open to "my" Plexus website where you can find the products of which I am speaking.  Ask me if you would like to know more!  sharlong@gmail.com)

Beanie Blondies -- dairy, gluten, egg and sugar free

Beanie Blondies

I've been making my Beanie Brownies recipe a lot recently, and I have been thinking about making them as "Blondies."  This is the result!

Makes 9 2 1/2" brownies

Preheat oven to 325F.  Spray a 8" square baking dish with cooking oil spray, set it aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt 

1/2 cup coconut oil

add

3/4 cup potato starch

Cool it slightly.

In the bowl of a food processor combine:

2 cups cooked small navy beans, drained and unseasoned

8 packets stevia sweetener

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 canned pear half in juice (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add the coconut oil and potato starch.  Process the mixture until it is smooth.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake at 325F for about 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Charley's Buffet Restaurant Review

Charley's Buffet Restaurant Review

Charley's Buffet Restaurant Review

Charley's Buffet is a local icon to the Warsaw, (Lincoln), MO area.  They are well known in these parts as having fabulous home-cooked food in abundance, but this isn't your typical buffet with bland, tasteless food served en mass.  No siree!  This is an award winning buffet, that is actually ranked #3 in all buffets across the nation in this recent article.  They certainly lived up to their reputation and more.

They are open only Fridays and Saturdays 4:30-8:30 p.m. during approximately February through November.  The closed season is due to the possibility of nasty winter weather here in Missouri, as they are about a half-hour drive into the country from Warsaw, MO. According to the reviews I saw online, and the recommendation of a friend, folks should plan to arrive quite early to get seating when the restaurant opens at 4:30.  However, I had to call the restaurant to check on available foods because I am on a special diet, (more about that later in the article), and the owner told me that if we didn't mind waiting until later, arriving around 7 p.m. would probably be better for our situation.  That was what we did, (we arrived around 7:20 p.m.), and we only had about a 15 minute wait.  There really isn't any waiting space inside, but there are benches outside to sit on if necessary. 

They have several buffet areas that are continuously stocked by cheerful staff.  The first picture is of their main course buffet section.  They have freshly prepared items such as home made fried chicken, shredded roast beef and ham.  All of the items that my family tried were excellent, though the ham was the favorite by far.

Main Courses

The next photo shows their side dishes.  They have corn, glazed carrots, broccoli with cheese sauce, macaroni and cheese along with many other freshly prepared items.  The family favorite on this section of the buffet was the macaroni and cheese, though they said there wasn't anything that they tried that wasn't delicious.

Side Dishes

The photo below shows their homemade rolls.  My daughter said this was her favorite part of the buffet over-all.  She said the cinnamon crescents were amazing!

Homemade Rolls

The next three photos show their amazing desserts.  I've read other reviews online that say, "just go for the desserts!"  Frankly, the choices seem over-whelming to me, but I don't eat regular desserts because of my allergies.  Thankfully, I didn't have to make that choice!  An astounding variety of cakes, pies, and cookies, all made freshly at the restaurant, were provided in abundance.  They even have a section, (third photo), dedicated just to cheesecakes.  Additionally, there is an ice cream machine along with a variety of toppings.  Everything my family tried was excellent, but the favorite was the chocolate chip mint cake.  Also, the cookies with large chocolate chunks were superb.

 Dessert Bar

 

 More Desserts!

Cheesecakes 

For those who don't eat sugar, there is, also, a sugar free dessert section, pictured below.

 Sugar Free Desserts

As I mentioned, I am on a special diet.  I have many food allergies, including wheat, (gluten), dairy and sugar.  Eating out can be very problematic for me, so I called ahead.  I spoke with one of the owners, and she was very gracious.  She told me that she uses Lipton Onion Soup mix in the roast, and all of the other buffet items have at least one of my allerges in them.  However, she offered to save out some of the vegetables for me without the sauces on them.  All I needed to do was alert her once I arrived at the restaurant.  Talk about warm and friendly folks!  I decided that I would try the roast, as the only other "plain" meat was ham, and I know that I don't tolerate ham well.  

Once we got there, after a few minutes waiting for them to get my veggies together, the photo below shows what I was given.  Honestly, it was enough food to feed my entire family!  She served me freshly prepared potatoes, green beans, broccoli, corn and cauliflower.  I took the roast off of the buffet.  Unfortunately, I later discovered that Lipton Onion Soup Mix has gluten in it, so I am having a reaction.  However, on my next visit, I will ask to see if she can just save out some chicken without the breading on it for me.  

Normally, one doesn't take leftovers from a buffet, but since they made so much food for me, I brought a big box of leftovers home.  My family will be eating well for a meal today!

 My "Special" Dinner

The restaurant's decor was fun and informal.  There are several collections around the restaurant, and I photographed a few of them, shown below:

Fun Collections

I can whole-heartedly recommend Charley's Buffet in Lincoln, MO, as an excellent casual, family friendly dining experience.  They have friendly, helpful staff, and freshly prepared food that doesn't skimp on taste or quality.  As their t-shirts boast, "It's worth the drive!" 

If special dietary issues are needed to be accounted for, just call them ahead to see what the options are.  Dairy and sugar allergies can be easily accommodated with a phone call.  For gluten and wheat issues, the jury is still out.  If we have the opportunity to visit them again, I will update my findings.

And, finally, this shot is of the beautiful Missouri sunset we watched as we drove home.