It's been a while since I've written...

...and  I hope you are all well!

There has been a lot going on (still!) on my end, and I find that I like being busy. But sometimes, do you ever feel the need to just have a few hours to do nothing?

I picked up some new books and hobbies I will be sharing with you here...in case you aren't following my instagram. The list of what I'd like to do, see, and learn is endless.

For the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you some "thinkers" from Suzanne Somer's new book, Tox-Sick. I try to follow up with as many stories as I can ( ;) ) that I have lived through and been through.

Also, this article here has pissed me off:

Australian wellness guru Belle Gibson reportedly built her career around claims she survived several different kinds of cancer with alternative medicine, but this week, she confessed that it was all a lie.

"No. None of it's true," she reportedly told The Australian Women's Weekly magazine in an issue on stands today.

Gibson, 23, claimed to have had blood, brain, liver, spleen and uterus cancers, according toMashable, which published a skeptical piece about the embattled entrepreneur last month. The Whole Pantry writer said she cured herself by shirking traditional medicine, eating whole foodsand using alternative therapies instead, according to Australian Women's Weekly.

"I don't want forgiveness," the Australian Women's Weekly reported her saying. "I just think [speaking out] was the responsible thing to do. Above anything, I would like people to say, 'OK, she's human.'"

ABC News reached out to Gibson through The Whole Pantry App but did not receive a response.

In addition to blogging, Gibson founded The Whole Pantry app, published a recipe book and had hundreds of thousands of social media followers. She appears to have deleted her Instagramposts.

Earlier today, Gibson allegedly tweeted from the Whole Pantry App account, "For the record, I haven't retreated to the United States. and didn't. Media, continue to 'humiliate and condemn' - Belle."

Unfounded claims of having cancer aren't new, but this is different because Gibson was offering unproven advice to a wide audience for profit, NYU Langone bioethicist Arthur Caplan told ABC News. He said the case should serve "as a reminder that there are people out there willing to prey on the desperate and the vulnerable."

"It is beyond despicable that you would give advice to people with terminal diseases like cancer and have them forgo the only therapies that might offer some hope," Caplan said. "I admit that the therapies often are poor, but that's all there is. To talk about alternatives that don't work, claiming that they did work on you is to not only step over the ethical line, it is to throw yourself into ethics 
hell.

"http://abcnews.go.com/Health/cancer-blogger-belle-gibson-now-sick/story?id=30526980

Why it pisses me off:
1- Um, cancer isn't funny. How ridiculous and petty does someone have to be to fake an illness? Who raised her?

2- First of all, eating whole foods and using alternative therapies...given that I don't know which therapies she used because I'd never even heard of here...there is the whole theory of detox that everyone in general needs to obtain optimum health.

3- I always believe in doing my own research. I don't go around believing everything someone says. It would be ridiculous if people did that. I want to learn everything...how to cure my body naturally, how to detox properly, what to eat, how to eat it...there is not one right way for everyone so why should one person have so much influence. I encourage everyone to do more research on health, wellness, and nutrition. If you don't, how will you learn anything?

4- People who fake a disease? I am trying not to judge, but do you want to try any chemo treatments that I've tried? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Educate yourselves, peeps. And have a beauuuuuutiful weekend.

Love me,
the globetrotting gamine

do you know that feeling...

where, as a writer...it haunts you in the middle of the night what you want to write about but then, upon waking...

nothing.
nada.
ZILCH.

i really hate this feeling, and it should promote me to get up in the middle of the night and start writing.

since summer began, i have gone back to exploring, celebrating, and back to the daily grind of trying to get my career as a school counselor rolling again. i wish it was easier to get everything done that i want to (especially in the crafts department!) but it's not.

things on my mind and now out there in the blog-u-verse:

• job job job. gimme gimme. want one to escape the boredom!
• love summer.
• social media is exhausting.
• so many books to read, so little time
• WANNA GO EVERYWHERE!
• ah, me.

lol

so i'm back in the state where my mind buzzes around and around with thoughts and ideas like a ticker tape. sometimes, i swear it's a psychic thing i've got going on. i have no idea where said thoughts and ideas come from.

i've heard somewhere recently that writers have a more difficult time than non-writers getting their words out there in the way they want. this comforts me, because  i never feel adequate enough in describing much of anything when writing. and most of the time, there is no word flow, or just basic flow. 

more things on my bucket list:

• certification in nutrition, health and wellness. 
• yoga certification
• my next big project

i hope all of you out there in bloggie land are doing wonderfully, and that your summer (or whatever season) is treating you well!!

lots of love and light from me to you,

the globetrotting gamine

Fluoridation (eew)

"Fluoridation (p.116)

Fluoride, a compound that protects against tooth decay, was added to many municipal was added to many municipal water systems beginning in 1945. At present, an estimated 2/3 of the American people live in communities with fluoridated water. While fluoridation has reduced cavities, rates of other orders have increased, including damage to the bones, thyroid gland, and immune function. As a result, several European countries, icluding Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany and Belgium have discontinued treating water with fluoride. France and Norway never started it. In the U.S. Kansas, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Hawaii have recently rejected proposals for fluoridization, and in 1998 voters in Santa Cruz refused to allocate money for fluoridation following a mandatory law passed by the California legislature.

Fluoride, a compound of calcium and fluoride that occurs naturally, is used in Oriental medicine as a tranquilizer. Prozac, the modern anti-depressant drug, utilizes fluoride as an active ingredient. In food, fluorine naturally occurs in rice, rye, parsley, cabbage, sea vegetables, and bancha twig tea."

Alleged Attacks By Fluoride:

• damages bones
• linked to a lower IQ
• produces Alzheimer like symptoms
• it's a byproduct of the A-bomb 

wow.

that's why it sucks.

what do you think?

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

sitting vs. squatting

(notes taken from here)

A Clinical Study of Sitting versus Squatting In April, 2002, an Iranian radiologist, Dr. Saeed Rad, published a study which compared the effectiveness of sitting versus squatting for evacuation.²⁴    One of his conclusions relates to the cause of a type of hernia known as "rectocele," which is a bulge of the front wall of the rectum into the vagina.
Thirty subjects participated in the study – 21 male, 9 female – ranging in age from 11 to 75 years. Each patient received a barium enema so the internal mechanics of evacuation could be recorded on an X-Ray image. Each patient was studied in both the squatting and the sitting positions.
Using these images, Dr. Rad measured the angle where the end of the rectum joins the anal canal. At this junction point, the puborectalis muscle creates a kink to prevent incontinence. Dr. Rad found that when the subjects used sitting toilets the average angle of this bend was 92 degrees, forcing the subjects to strain. When they used squat toilets, the angle opened to an average of 132 degrees. At times it reached 180 degrees, making the pathway perfectly straight.
Using squat toilets, all the subjects reported "complete" evacuation. "Puborectalis relaxation occurred easily and straightening of the rectum and anal canal facilitated evacuation. The anal canal became wide open and no folding was noticed in the terminal rectum."
In the sitting position, "a remarkable folding was created in the terminal rectum predisposing it to rectocele formation, and puborectalis relaxation was incomplete." All the subjects reported that elimination felt "incomplete" in the sitting position.
Dr. Rad also measured the distance from the pelvic floor to the perineum. In the sitting position he found that the pelvic floor was pushed downwards to a significant degree. (A detailed discussion of the connection between sitting toilets and pelvic organ prolapse – including rectoceles – can be found in thegynecological disorders section.)
Dr. Rad concluded that the use of the squat toilet "is a more comfortable and efficient method of bowel evacuation" than the sitting toilet.

 
Different types of squat toilets


note:: i've never used squat toilets before and don't think i have the coordination to do so- but would do it if there was a shower nearby! lol

love me,
the globetrotting gamine 

stuff about chewing!

Saliva Inhibits HIV (p.59)

Saliva contains substances that pervent the AIDS virus from infecting white-blood cells. In a study, dental researchers tested saliva from three healthy men, 35, 40, and 42 years old. Tests indicated the men were not carriers of the AIDS virus and were not known to be at high risk for infection. In laboratory dishes, the men's saliva prevented the AIDS virus from infecting lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that is among the immune system cells attacked by the AIDS virus in the body. 

The researchers said the finding might help explain why no cases have been documented in which the AIDS virus was transmitted from person to person through asliva such as through kissing or sharing toothbrushes. The scientsts concluded that saliva is wel known to contain substances that kill bacteria and funguses and so might also be able to block the AIDS virus.

Chewing and Cancer Risk:

An Indian cancer researcher concluded that thorough chewing lowered the risk of cancer. "The proper chewing of meals ensuring that mucous-rich saliva mixed with the food seemed to be protective factors." Cancer also appeared to be more prevalent in south Indian where white rice and considerably more fat, oil and spices are used in cooking than in north India where whole-grain chapatis and thick dahl made with lentils are the staple."

you learn something new everyday!

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

appendicitis

information from here
Appendicitis In the diagram of the colon, please locate the cecum, the appendix and the ileocecal valve. The left side of the diagram corresponds to the right side of the body.
The cecum is a small pouch where the colon begins, in the lower right section of the abdomen. Wastes from the small intestine flow into the cecum through the ileocecal valve (theoretically a one-way valve.) The appendix is a narrow tube attached to the cecum, with a channel opening into the cecum.
Waste matter can get lodged in this channel, causing the appendix to become infected and inflamed. Immediate surgery must be performed to remove the appendix before it bursts. Otherwise, the result is usually fatal.
Why does the appendix get blocked with fecal matter? Did nature make a blunder in its design?
One clue comes from the field of epidemiology. Appendicitis is a disease of westernized countries, virtually unknown in the developing world.^19,31     The reason is that the cecum was designed to be squeezed empty by the right thigh, in the squatting position. On a sitting toilet, it is physically impossible to compress the cecum.
Instead, one pushes downwards with the diaphragm, while holding one's breath. This maneuver inflates and pressurizes the cecum. It is analogous to squeezing a tube of toothpaste in the middle and causing the bottom of the tube to inflate. The pressure can easily force wastes into the appendix, with disastrous consequences.
The back-pressure can also overwhelm the ileocecal valve, whose purpose is to protect the small intestine from fecal contamination. Barium enema exams and intestinal surgeries routinely show the leakage of wastes into the small intestine.Crohn's Disease develops in the area soiled by this toxic backwash.
Despite all the straining, the cecum never gets evacuated. Residual wastes adhere to the colon wall, increasing the risk of cancer and inflammation (including appendicitis.)
By contrast, in the squatting posture, the right thigh squeezes the cecum from its base. Its contents are thoroughly expelled into the ascending colon, where peristalsis carries them away. There is no need to hold one's breath or push downwards, since the posture generates the pressure automatically.
The force is all directed upwards, so the appendix stays clean and the ileocecal valve stays closed. These organs were not "poorly designed" – as is currently taught in medical schools. Like the rest of the colon, they were designed with squatting in mind.

---

Historical Background of Appendicitis Most people assume that appendicitis has always been with us. But in fact, it emerged quite recently, coinciding with the introduction of sitting toilets toward the end of the 19th century.²² According to the Medical Journal of Australia,

The epidemiology of appendicitis poses many unanswered questions. Almost unknown before the 18th century, there was a striking increase in its prevalence from the end of the 19th century, with features suggesting it is a side effect of modern Western life.³⁰

In 1886, Reginald Heber Fitz, a Harvard Professor of Pathological Anatomy, became the first doctor to recognize and name the disease. He was also the first one to propose treating it by removing the appendix.¹⁸
The conservative British medical establishment resisted the novel appendectomy procedure until after the turn of the century, when it was used to save the new king's life. In 1901, the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, underwent an emergency appendectomy, just two weeks before his scheduled coronation as King Edward VII. His successful recovery finally convinced British surgeons that this operation was the only way to save the victims of this "mysterious" new disease.²⁰
Currently, 7% of the U.S. population will contract appendicitis at some point in their lifetime (according to www.emedicine.com). The figure would be even higher, except that 40,000 "incidental appendectomies" are performed each year (according to Harper's Index, Feb, 2002.) "Incidental" means there was nothing wrong with the appendix, but the surgeon happened to be operating on another organ nearby – in most cases performing a hysterectomy.
Appendicitis is the most common reason for a child to need emergency abdominal surgery. Young people between the ages of 11 and 20 are most often affected (according to www.KidsHealth.org).
Modern medicine recognizes that appendicitis is primarily a disease of the Western World.³¹    They attribute this to the (allegedly) greater amount of fiber in the diet of the Third World. However, the fiber theory has never been substantiated, as evidenced by this quote from www.KidsHealth.org:

There are no medically proven ways to prevent appendicitis. Although appendicitis is rare in countries where people eat a high-fiber diet, experts have not yet shown that a high-fiber diet definitely prevents appendicitis.

Many residents of the developing world, not wanting to appear "backward", feel obliged to adopt western toilets. This trend is causing health problems that were previously unknown among squatting populations. Appendicitis is one example, as reported by webhealthcentre.com, a health care portal based in India:

The Indian type of toilet is more conducive to complete evacuation than the Western toilet. With the western style closets becoming popular in India, there is a risk of increased incidence of appendicitis.

Unfortunately, western doctors have never made the connection between toilet posture and appendicitis. Their understanding of this disease has advanced little in the century since Dr. Frederick Treves performed his famous appendectomy (mentioned above) on the Prince of Wales.
Ironically, Sir Frederick (knighted for saving the king's life) lost his own daughter to appendicitis.²⁷   Despite being highly skilled at surgery, he had no idea what causes the disease, or how to prevent it.
Now his successors have a chance to redeem their profession. By informing their patients (and their children) about the health hazards of the modern toilet, they can prevent a great deal of needless suffering.

top of page

caffeine-truth!

"Caffeine (p.45)

Caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, tea, soft drinks, cocoa, chocolate, and 2000 nonprescription drugs, is the world's most consumed drug. 80% of adults in the U.S. consume it daily in one form or another. Flobally, tea is the worlds most popular beverage, followed by coffee and soft drinks. One cup of tea contains about half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. A 12- oz. can of coke or pepsi contains about as much caffeine as a cup of tea or half a cup of coffee.

Multiple Effects of Caffeine:
...Metabolically, it takes the liver about 5 hours to break down half a given amount of caffeine. Absorbed quickly in the intestine, caffeine crosses all CELL MEMBRANES and is rapidly diffused into the saliva, semen breast milk and amniotic fluid. Caffeine revs up the brain, stimulating mental focus, productivity, and physical performance.
HOWEVER, in large amounts, caffeine produces the opposite effect, inhibiting neuron firing and acting as a depressant. Caffeine causes the heart to beat more rapidly, constricts some blood vessels and dilates others, and stimulates some muscles to contract and others to expand. Caffeine can curb the appetite, cause weight loss and serve as a laxative. It increases urine production and can stress the kidneys.
While caffeine RELEASES fat stored in cells, "caffeine may actually make it harder to eat a balanced, healthy diet." In medical studies, it is associated with increased binge eating, PMS, and possible birth defects and impaired development of children.
Decaf, meanwhile, is weakly linked with raising cholesterol, and he solvent processing method, using strong chemicals like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, may pose risks though it has been approved by the FDA.
Habitual coffee drinkers commonly suffer from withdrawal symptoms, including tiredness, irritability, and grogginess in the morning before they have their first cup of coffee. Caffeine dependence, withdrawal, and addiction were not recognized until recently.
In writing his book, Braun concludes that he has become more conscious of caffeine's strong, potentially harmful effects. While he still drinks coffee, he is more mindful and takes periodic "caffeine holidays" of one or two weeks at a time."

for the love of broccoli

"Broccoli (p.43)

As a cruciferous vegetable, the protective effects  against heart disease and cancer have been well documented. In traditional Oriental medicine, broccoli is especially good for the lungs and large intestine.

Broccoli Reduces Cancer Risk:
In a review of seven cohort studies and 87 case-control studies around the world, researchers in the Netherlands reported that 67% of the studies found that the consumption of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower lowered the risk of lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer and rectal cancer.

Anticancer Nutrient Identified:
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported that they had identified the ingredient  in broccoli that worked as a powerful anticancer compound in laboratory experiments. The chemical, sulforaphane, boosts the production of an important enzyme known to neutralize carcinogens before the trigger tumor growth. In addition to broccoli, sulforaphane is found in bok choy, ginger, scallions, and other vegetables.
In subsequent experiments, the Johns Hopkins scientists reported that broccoli inhibited induced breast cancer in animal tests. They particularly recommended saga broccoli, grown organically in Maine for the experiments."

Brocc it up!!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

about brain tumors

"Brain Tumors (p.38)

Brain tumors are the leading cause of death from childhood cancer.

Childhood Tumors Linked to Cured Meat

In a study of maternal diet during pregnancy involving 1300 children, researchers at the University of South California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center reported that consumption of meats cured with sodium nitrite increased the risk of brain tumors."

Pretty much anything cured or processed is a no-no if you want to keep your bod/immune system happy and healthy.

take care of you!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

about BGH in your food

we all know hormones in our foods (meats, chicken, dairy) really sucks. an excerpt from "let food be thy medicine" by Alex Jack tells us a little about the Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH).

"Bovine Growth Hormone (p.37)

BGH is a genetically engineered hormone fed to dairy cows to boost milk production. WHile the FDA approved its use in 1995, health and consumer groups have expressed concerns about its safety and demanded that it be labelled.

Monsanto, the manufacturer, has sued natural foods stores and companies that label its product BGH free, claiming that such labels unfairly parage a legal product. A compromise on the issue of labeling was reached for the first time in 1998 when organic food companies in Illinois and Ben & Kerry's ice cream settled a lawsuit against the state in which natural foods suppliers won the right to explain to consumers that they oppose recombinant BGH and would not use it on their products, though the FDA has found no significant difference between BGH-treated and untreated cos.

About 25% of the milk sold in the U.S. is made from cows treated with BGH."

It goes on to say that in regards to being related to cancer..."In a review of the evidence linking dairy and breast cancer, researchers with the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine contend that the FDA's approval of BHG, genetically engineered bovine growth hormone, was based on faulty assumptions and studies. WHile the FDA concluded that it did not differ chemically from natural BGH, studies indicate that BGH differs by 1 to 9 amino acids. The FDA also assumed that BGH is not orally active in humans and that its activity is destroyed during pasteurization, both of which have been contradicted by subsequent studies."

Ick.

Almond Milk all the way <3

cashew, and hemp, too!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

the correct use of herbs, part 3

(took this from here )



from Jude's Herbal Home Remedies:


Licorice

• use the root
• has estrogen properties so use during and after change of life
• use for all blood and bronchial problems

Marsh Mallow

• use the root
• soothes inflammations and irritations of the urinary and alimentary systems
• will dispense throat tickle.

Mullein

• flowers and leaves are used
• used for bronchial problems, inhibits bacteria growth, antibiotic properties

Nettle

• use leaves and upper part of plant
• used to relieve arthritis pains

Nutmeg

• use in small doses to help stomach disorders and digestion
• use in a small dose ONLY

Pansy

• whole herb
• mild expectorant, for colds and asthma
• good tonic for the heart

Pennyroyal

• use leaves
• relieves stomach
• stimulates uterine muscles

Peppermint

• leaves and flowering tops are used
• removes hardened mucus from alimentary and bronchial systems
• used for stomahc discomfort

Plantain

• roots and leaves are used
• antiseptic properties
• removes toxins from system

Pokeweed

• early shoots, roots and berries are used
• the chemotherapy of the herbs, strong purge
• duplicates effects of cortisone which stimulates entire glandular system
• violent laxative and diuretic to clean the whole system

(this is ironic because chemo doesn't make you poop. it keeps it all in.)

Prickly Lettuce

• leaves and gum are used
• strong sedative to treat insomnia
• removes hardened excretions from the bronchial system

Purslane

• use the herb above the ground
• good cleanser for kidneys

Raspberry

• leaves and fruit are used
• stimulates kidneys and soothes uterine muscles, known as a woman's herb
• roots are known for astringent properties

Red Clover

• flowering tops are used
• great blood purifier and tonic
• skin disorders caused by impurities of the blood so take the tea on a regular basis if you are not allergic

miracles.

i don't know how miracles happen, 

but i know that they do.

i know that everything people dream about

at the highest level

is supposed to happen, but i have no idea how.

i have read the secret, the magic, the power, the hero, etc...

yeah, i still have no idea.

we are all such tiny miracles, 

the world is a miracle, 

everything was meant to happen as it should be.

we are meant to overcome obstacles placed before us.

we are meant to live in the present moment,

and be happy and thankful for each and every moment 

in our life. 

i am reading this book called, 

"Make Miracles in Forty Days" 

by Melody Beattie.

the first activity in the book is to write a detailed description 

about a situation or problem you are having, 

include all details, like when it started and how you've tried to fix it...

do this activity about a half an hour after you wake up

(ideally with juice, but i prob won't be able to do this RIGHT when I wake up)

Give this activity fourty days before you quit it.

Somehow this creates a miracle.

Will you try this with me?

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

the juice chronicles

this was one of my 

favorite juices to create.

i had no idea it would come out

teenage mutant ninja GREEN

but i should have figured!!

-golden beet

-melon

-lemon

-green apples

- ginger

-celery

and it was DELISH!!

what yummy juice did you create today?

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

tuesday craftiness, part 10

i know it's may
but i love to look back
at all the beautiful things
my mom has made over the years!

this one even has a
crocheted flower on the hat
kinda like something
they might have had
in the 1920s.

i don't know if you can tell,
but she used a black material
with glittery bits
threaded all into it.

love love love it.

hope y'all do, too!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

the correct use of herbs, part 2

part to from Jude's Herbal Home Remedies!

Calendula

• use flowers
• tea is used internally and externally 
• has been used to stop bleeding, is antibiotic and heals wounds
• treats chest ailments and craps, flu, stomach problems and to induce swelling to bring down fever

Catnip

• leaves and flowering tops
• treat colic or flatulence

Celery

• tea made from celery eases the tummy
• used as a sedative
• always use fresh celery

Chamomile

• flowers and the upper hald of the plant are used
• calmative and sedative
• treats headaches, cramps and other gastrointestinal disorders

Chicory

• flowers
• used as sedative and general tonic
• used as a diuretic

Clary Sage

• leaves and seeds are used
• used for eye disorders, clears sediments from liver and kidneys
• good for nausea and colic treatment

Cleavers

• the entire herb
• strong diuretic, used to dissolve deposits in the kidneys

Coltsfoot

• use the leaves
• this herb binds to toxins in the system and helps to eliminate them, great expectorant

Corn Silk

• great diuretic, used to clean the urinary system and as a tonic for the whole system

Dandelion

• use roots and leaves
• use as a general tonic, as well as for liver and bladder complaints

Elder

• use leaves, fruits and flowers
• elder flower tea is an excellent diuretic, use for feverish colds

Eyebright

• use seeds if you have a tendency toward kidney stones
• use in a rinse for eyes

Fennel

• use all parts
• aids digestion and helps calm nervous stomach, increases milk production

Fenugreek

• use seeds
• soothes lining of stomachs and intestines

Ginseng

• use the root
• considered a near cure-all.
• used as a tonic for all systems of the body and as an aphrodisiac

Goldenseal

• use the root
• helps in ailments of both the stomach and liver

Horehound

• use flowering tops and leaves
• use for bronchial and stomach disorders, good for sore throats and colds, an expectorant

Hollyhock

• use roots and leaves
• leaves can be used uncookes in salads or cooked as a side dish
• an emollient
• good to use during colds, or if prone to kidney stones

Irish Moss

• use dried plant
• bronchial disorders, kidney problems
• use in cough syrups

Kelp

• contains iodine
• use to purify blood as well as for goiters

Kidney Beans

• tea made from the beans and pods is considered to be of a diuretic nature
• helps to clean kidneys and ureters of gravel

Lavender

• use the flowers for a pleasant, sedative tea
• use for releasing tension and headaches

Lemon Balm

• use the leaves
• make a tea with a sedative action
• use to induce sweating to reduce fevers
• regulates menstruation

what i want: the welles step

Seven Advantages of Squatting

1. Makes elimination faster, easier and more complete. This helps prevent "fecal stagnation," a prime factor in colon cancer, appendicitis andinflammatory bowel disease.
2. Protects the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged.
3. Securely seals the ileocecal valve, between the colon and the small intestine. In the conventional sitting position, this valve is unsupported and often leaks during evacuation, contaminating the small intestine.
4. Relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence.
5. Uses the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining. Chronic straining on the toilet can cause hernias, diverticulosis, and pelvic organ prolapse.
6. A highly effective, non-invasive treatment for hemorrhoids, as shown by published clinical research.
7. For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus when using the toilet. Daily squatting helps prepare one for a more natural delivery.

the juice chronicles

i'm a little insane when it comes to my juice.

most days i juice once.

when i'm home, twice.

there's a constant stock of various juices

in my fridge

to boost my immunity throughout the day!

it's an addiction

and one i'm happy to have!

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

navel expo

what a great time my friends and i had at the navel expo!
it's really sparked a bigger passion in me on my pursuit of everything health and wellness.

i have so much to tell you about it...

like how i sipped bentonite clay (not a good idea! just gulp it down!)

like how i met interesting people...

how many more items are on my to-buy list is crazy!!
(like a vitamix, please!!!!)

hope to see you there next year!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

tuesday craftiness, part 9

i call this "art"
thunderswept.

it was my first time
creating something
by melting non-toxic
crayons <3

i hope y'all like it!

if you have any other ideas or suggestions i can
try, please send them along!
i love what you have sent me
so far, and do my best to try to
keep creating!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

Inspiration Thursday!

(Pic Above: December '13-- me, my great niece, my 'nephew', my bestie)

When I was about 8 years old, my Grandfather had passed away and it was the most traumatizing thing in my world, it shook it to the core.

The following summer, a new family moved in across the street to my house. My Mom came back and took me with her to introduce me to said family because they had a little girl my age.

We spoke for barely a minute when I suddenly proclaimed to the new neighbor girl that we were best friends.

And the rest is history.

I can't explain what we've been through together. First crush, sleepovers galore, first kiss, boyfriends, fights, food, blogging, husbands, cancer, pregnancy, EVERYTHING....basically, it's taught us that nothing can be thrown at us without us pulling through, individually and together. 

She was my first friend who made me laugh til I nearly peed, probably sometimes did pee, and who has walked this path of life with me for the longest. Definitely serious past life stuff going on here, and I have this connection with so few people <3

So she has started a blog, and being an inspiration, I wanted to share her with you!

A link to her Blog, Healthy Obsessionista--- right here.... What prompted you on the quest for all things health and wellness? A: I always hated taking medicine. And when I began working for a chiropractor first when I was 19, I knew that alternative approaches were more my speed. It seemed to snowball from there. Chiropractic, naturopaths, acupuncture, reiki - and hand in hand with those practices are nutrition, supplementation. The holistic approach encompasses all. I liked that. I was inspired to always go beyond symptoms. Instead of taking an Advil or something for a headache- I wondered to myself at 19, why do I have the headache to start with. Your other passions include... A: Where to begin? Art almost fort and foremost has been ingrained in my very being. I enjoy any creative endeavor- painting, cooking, singing or writing. Often I'm more private with my art- I share some of my work, and enjoy when people respond positively of course- but there is a part of me that likes to create and keep it for myself. Yoga and mindfulness are things I am passionate about as well. And food! Oh wow- food is something I am always excited to talk about. What inspires you? A: first and foremost nature. We are just a cog in the machine that is nature. I find when I'm in sync with mother natures flow I'm much happier and things seem to just work and you can really see- as opposed to getting bogged down by drama and nonsense. Has your research and knowledge changed your life? There's a quote by Maya Angelou that answers that perfectly; "when you know better, you do better"... Of course instill eat things here and there that I okie aren't necessarily the best choices, but I'm mindful of their impact, and don't make it an everyday thing. What would you say to someone who challenges the health and wellness lifestyle? A: I have been challenged many times and ultimately we are all on our own paths. Who am I to force anyone to see things my way? I lead an live by example. And one of my favorite sayings is there are threw things that can not long be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. How would you encourage a new-comer to a healthier, happier lifestyle? A: Anyone who is a kindred spirit gets my respect. It takes courage to deviate from the norm- to leave your comfort zone. I'd let them know that the healthy choices they are making today will help them feel vibrant and better tomorrow. Where can we find some of your work? A: Actually you can see my hard work as a former sale rep on the shelves of every whole foods in The north East. I have successfully placed over 40 brands in all the stores. Are there any resources to begin a newbie on their own quest? A: with so much information and misinformation on the internet- you have to confer with like minded individuals. Seek out a guru if that's your thing. Herbalists and chiropractors will chat with you. Often employees at a natural food store will have some great tips and information.


Again, Please check her out! She's flippin' awesome <3

Lots of Love
the globetrotting gamine