Candida: Yeast Overgrowth & What to Do About it

If you have yeast overgrowth, there really isn’t a good test for it because yeast resides primarily in your gut. Every test can produce a false negative or false positive result. The BEST way to determine if you have a problem with yeast overgrowth (Candida) is to review your symptoms. The following symptoms can indicate that you have a problem with Candida:

• Strong cravings for refined carbohydrates and sugar 
• Overall exhaustion, chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
• Poor digestion: gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
• Chronic nasal congestion or sinusitis
• Severe seasonal allergies or itchy ears
• Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lack of focus
• Skin rashes & inflammation
• Autoimmune diseases
• Vaginal, urinary or rectal infections & itching
• Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression
• Skin infections and fungal nail infections

Candida needs a dark, moist environment with plenty of food. That’s why it likes living in the gut. Sugars are Candida’s primary food source, which is why you may crave sweets often – someone’s stealing your sugar!

Candida overgrowth is a common condition. Remedying it, however, can be a tedious process. To kick out this unwanted guest, you’ll need to starve it, provide it with an inhospitable host AND (this is MOST important) MOVE IN SOME MORE DESIRABLE TENNANTS!

Many people get the first part right. They will cleanse, change their diets by limiting sugars and refined carbohydrates, and even take an extended round of anti-biotics. THEN they fail to follow up with PRO biotics with which to populate the gut. The result is that the yeast (an opportunistic organism) returns with a vengeance. Why? Because now, there’s no competition. The cleansing mechanism that wiped out the yeast, also wiped out the competition. Without any microorganisms to compete with, the Candida returns and re-establishes itself in a greater way. The symptoms return and can even worsen.

Candida overgrowth requires that BOTH cleansing and repopulating the gut take place. Yet, try as I might, educating people about this process has never been enough to help them succeed… UNTIL NOW!

That’s right! FINALLY I’ve found a simple, gentle, affordable, and easy to use system that takes all of the guesswork out of the process. Say goodbye to brain fog, congestion, exhaustion and that embarrassing mystery skin condition. Say hello to not having to watch every bite for fear of a return of Candida.

The first product, Bio-Cleanse, is taken twice a day. This product enhances the oxygenation of the entire body and helps adjust your Ph levels. Because yeast and pathogens thrive in an oxygen-deprived and acidic environment Bio-Cleanse makes sure that yeast’s foothold is lessened and weakened.

The second product takes care of the gut repopulation. ProBio5 capsules are taken before bed. This gives these high quality probiotics all night to establish themselves and crowd out any surviving yeast. These two products taken together can provide both a reversal and a prevention of the return of Candida overgrowth. I LOVE that it’s so SIMPLE. No more harsh cleansing regimens, restrictive diets or trying to remember a complicated schedule.

The BEST part? Plexus Worldwide is so confident in the quality of its product that the Bio-Cleanse and ProBio5 come with a 60-day money back guarantee! How many half-used products sit on shelves collecting dust because they didn’t work? If THESE don’t work, send the empty container back for a full refund. Just try them for 60 days to be sure. WOW!

read more “ Candida: Yeast Overgrowth & What to Do About it ”

Chicken Coops & Runs -- Things We Like

Vintage design with attached run.

There's no need to spend a lot of money on a chicken coop or run. Making your own, even for the novice, has several benefits:

1. You can usually find second hand materials that are better quality than the materials used to create ready-made options. Honestly, I've looked at the ready-made coops. You can spend over $400 for a thin bit of nothing to house only 4 chickens comfortably. Then you will still find yourself having to figure out how to predator-proof and weather-proof the thing. Go find a discarded shipping crate and use your imagination.
2. Even if you pay top-dollar for your materials, the same amount of money will produce housing for more chickens than if you spend it on something already constructed.
3. If you've never done construction work, you can learn by using the internet and helpful sites like Ana White or Ron Hazelton. You'll gain confidence AND you'll know where any problem areas might be located in case there is a need for repair. Don't worry, the chickens won't criticize you if things are a bit crooked.


Here are features that we have used (or wish we had):

NESTING BOXES

• Don't place them under roosts where poop lands.
• Do make them dark and private.
• If they are built as nooks in the wall, it preserves floor space.
• We prefer top hatch openings for egg retrieval -- or front retrieval.

FOR THE COOP

1. You don't need a walk-in coop. This also helps as a work-around for areas that limit 'permanent' structures.
2. An elevated coop helps keep critters out.
3. You DO need large doors on two sides of your coop for easy cleaning.
4. Position at least one window towards the east and have some upper ventilation for when the weather gets warm. This allows for plenty of sunshine and a cross breeze to keep things healthy.
5. Use clear shower curtain liners, cut to size to cover windows during winter. These are easy to clean, waterproof, block the wind, allow in sunshine and can be rolled up during the summer.
6. Line the floor of the coop with leftover vinyl flooring. This will be covered with wood chips or hay and will make cleanup SO MUCH easier.
7. Removable roosts make cleaning easier and allows for re-arranging as needed.
8. Hanging feeders and waterers are simple to use and clean.
9. Consider having your coop located outside the chicken run with a chicken exit from the coop into the run. If you have repairs to do later, you'll not have to work around your girls, just close the chicken door. This also makes it possible to retrieve eggs without entering the run.

FOR THE RUN

1. If you have a coop located inside the run, any security measures you've taken with the run fencing will also help to secure your coop.Covering a run with netting keeps predators at bay. We attached ours' with zip ties.
2. Staking wire mesh along the ground outside the run keeps other animals from digging in.
3. Keep hay, yard clippings, shrub prunings, and other organic materials in the chicken run. They will pick bugs off of anything they don't eat. All of it will all be shredded into rich compost for your yard. This will also keep the soil in the run from becoming compacted with manure -- which will keep it from smelling bad after a rain.
4. ANYTHING you think of that will make it easier to interact with your birds -- incorporate it in the original plan. You'll think of more later, but ease of cleaning and feeding will be important.

read more “ Chicken Coops & Runs -- Things We Like ”

1 2 3 4 CAKE!

When I was very small, Mama never used cake mixes. It was unheard of to find a recipe book that listed a box of cake mix as an ingredient. With just a few items from her kitchen cabinet, she could put together a cake that was light, moist, and crumbly. The layers would be separated by some muscadine jelly or blackberry jam (from the berries we gathered). On top would be a buttery vanilla icing with butter knife swirls.

She never referred to a recipe book. She told me that Home Economics was a course all of the girls took in high school to teach them the basics of nutrition and cooking. A standard cake recipe was one of the lessons and the recipe she had memorized.

Time marched on and soon Boxed Betty's ad campaign won us over. Mama added solidified vegetable oil and eggs to the mix. It didn't seem any quicker, but this was cooking at it's scientific best (we thought). Years later, when I asked her if she could recall the cake of my childhood, she had forgotten it. I WISHED I had written it down!

Well, someone DID write it down, and I've been able to find it in several places on the internet. Everything old is truly new again *smiles*

You may find you like it too, so I'll gladly share my version.

ONE * TWO * THREE * FOUR * CAKE

1 cup butter (or coconut oil)
1 cup soured milk
2 cups organic granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or lemon, almond, orange -- your preference)
3 cups cake flour (whole wheat finely milled)
4 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour pan(s). I like to use parchment paper as a liner, but it isn't required.

In a large bowl, cream oil and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and add to creamed sugar and oil. Mix well.

Use large metal strainer to sift baking powder and flour into the egg/sugar/oil mixture. Do this a little at the time, stirring after each addition. Alternate this with adding the mil,. Again, beat well after each addition. Add extract.

In separate bowl beat egg whites. When they form stiff peaks, fold gently into cake batter. Fill pan(s) or tins and bake as follows:

If using 3, 9-inch cake pans, (or 4 8-inch pans) bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
If using 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan, bake in 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
If making cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

This can be served plain, with your favorite jam as a topping or with an icing of your choice.

read more “ 1 2 3 4 CAKE! ”

Plexus Ingredients Price Comparison

I'm all for a bargain.
   I like quality, but I want it at a good price!

After I found out how GREAT Plexus Slim works, I started to wonder how the retail price for this drink would compare to a month's supply of the ingredients.

I read the label on my pack of Slim and started shopping. Of course, I don't have the 'secret formula' for HOW these ingredients should be mixed. For this reason, I just read the labels on each item to determine how much the directions said should be used each day. I compiled this table to break down how much a day's worth of each item would cost. These were totaled to give a total price per day, multiplied by 30 for a price per month.

And the results....
Except for polydextrose, prices are from iHerb.com at the time of this post -- 11/5/13

ITEM	BRAND	SIZE	DAILY USE	DAYS PER ITEM	RETAIL PRICE	PRICE PER DAY
ALPHA LIPOIC ACID	Source Naturals, Alpha Lipoic Acid, 1	60 Capsules	1 capsule daily without meals	60	$12.31	$0.21
BEET ROOT EXTRACT	Nature's Way, Beet Root	100 Capsules, 500 mg	2 capsules, 3x daily with food	50	$6.61	$0.13
CHLOROGENIC ACID	Life Extension, CoffeeGenic, Green Coffee Extract, 200 mg,	90 Veggie Caps	1 capsule before each heavy meal	30	$18.75	$0.63
CHROMIUM GTF	Now Foods, GTF Chromium	200 mcg, 250 Tablets	2 tablets per day	75	$7.63	$0.10
CITRIC ACID	Now Foods, Citric Acid	4 oz (113 g)	1 tsp per quart water	24	$4.03	$0.17
CITRIN K (GARCINIA CAMBOGIA)	Source Naturals, Garcinia 1000	90 Tablets	1 tablet, 2x day, 1 hour before meal	45	$15.40	$0.34
GRAPE SKIN EXTRACT	Life Extension, Whole Grape Extract	60 Veggie Caps	1 capsule daily	60	$27.00	$0.45
OXYPREGNANE STEROIDAL GLYCOSIDE (extract from Hoodia Gordonii)	Nature's Way, Hoodia, Standardized	60 Vcaps	2 calpsules, 30 minutes before each meal	10	$17.00	$1.70
POLYDEXTROSE	Honeyville Grain	5 pound bag	1 TBSP per quart	180	$21.99	$0.12
STEVIA EXTRACT	Frontier Natural Products, Powdered Stevia Extract	4 oz (113 g)	1/2 tsp per quart	48	$24.99	$0.52
					Total $ Per Day	$4.37
					Total $ Per Month	$131.01

I was more than a little shocked. My figures don't reflect shipping and handling. We are just talking retail, but WOW. Based upon prices at this writing, you are saving around $50 per month by purchasing Plexus Slim's 30-day pack.

Not only does this product cost less than other weight loss programs & solutions, but it even costs less than if you purchased each individual ingredient.

They've already done the formulation, so you don't have to play mad scientist. Just open the convenient packet, pour it into a bottle of water and shake until it's mixed. That's it. You don't have to schedule doses throughout the day. It's just one simple, pleasant-tasting drink and YOU'RE DONE!

If THAT's not enough savings, you can select the lower 'preferred customer' price at checkout and receive automatic monthly shipments of Plexus Slim. Want more savings? Pay for an annual membership and enjoy your Plexus Slim at wholesale prices.

AND it all comes with a 60-day money back guarantee!

Follow this link and find out what Plexus Slim can do for you.

read more “ Plexus Ingredients Price Comparison ”

Health Benefits of Beetroot

The rich red color of the beetroot is one of the first indications that it is a blood builder. In fact, this edible taproot could well be called a superfood. 

A blood cleanser, beetroot contains sodium magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and folic acid. Vitamins A, C and niacin are contained within beetroot along with carbohydrates, protein & antioxidants. All of these help the body release toxins, which compliments it's immune boosting, anti-cancer, and acne-healing properties. The soluble fiber helps add needed bulk to a diet which would help prevent toxins from sitting in the colon for extended periods of time.

Beetroot's antioxidants and nitrates support healthy circulation. A chemical chain reaction in the body converts the nitrates into nitric oxide which helps to lower elevated blood pressure and improving blood flow in all parts of the body including the brain, heart and muscles.

These properties mean that beetroot can contribute to the strengthening and detoxification of the liver and gall bladder while helping boost natural production of hormones in the body.

If you choose to take this supplement in an isolated form, you can find capsules at iHerb. But, if you'd like a top quality supplement that includes this as well as MANY OTHER beneficial ingredients in a refreshing daily drink, I strongly recommend you try Plexus Slim. This product comes with a 60-day money back guarantee which gives you plenty of time to see how well it works for you (and speaks highly of the quality). Select the 'preferred customer' option when purchasing to receive a $5 discount. For more information visit Plexus Slim, or message me today.

read more “ Health Benefits of Beetroot ”

Make a Cake Pan Organizer

It was a gradual thing. I used to have just one cookie sheet. Then there were assorted muffin tins, pizza pans, roasting pans, cooling racks and various square pans. Over time, the roomy cupboard that was supposed to hold them all turned into some sort of black hole that held onto whatever I wanted when I tried to extract it. My kitchen helpers began to just shove stuff into there, hoping it would all sort itself out. It never did.

In a futile effort to solve the problem, I purchased a cookie sheet organizer. It looked like this ----->

I had high hopes that this solved the issue and loaded it up with several pans. All I can tell you about this gadget is that it may work for dorm rooms, single girls or show homes, but it wasn't very practical for my space. It wasn't long before the adjustable wire shelves got shoved around and came loose. My helpers were back to tossing things wherever they fit, but now they had to work around the wire tentacles of the pan "organizer." I had to fight with the wires that came loose to untangle my pans when I wanted them. This just wasn't working. Wire racks were not an option.

I did a search for how to build a cookie sheet organizer and didn't find a lot. What did catch my eye were some magazine holders for a bookshelf. If I could match the dimensions to my shelf space and build it out of sturdy wood, one of these must might work. Off to the storage area I went and found some 1 x 2's and 1/4 sheet of 1/2" ply-board.

I measured the opening to my cabinet: its height and width. Then I measured the depth. With the help of some basic math, I cut out the bottom, back, sides and dividers -- enough for five spaces. One important item to remember in this step is to allow for the width of the board so that you don't end up with something that is just 1/2" too high or wide or deep.

Back in the storage area I located some brown paint. I painted all of the pieces prior to construction. The hardest part was holding things in place while screwing it together. Pilot holes had to be drilled to prevent splitting. I toyed with the idea of making this part of a sliding shelf, but the hardware would have taken away from storage space (and made my day a little longer), so that was out.

In the end, it isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it is sturdy, makes good use of the space and prevents the kitchen staff from being able to toss things into a tangled pile.

*happy sigh*

read more “ Make a Cake Pan Organizer ”

Olla Plant Watering System Saves Time & Water

Everyone gets thirsty during the hot summer months -- even your plants. An olla can help reduce your water usage and make gardening less time consuming. What is an olla? Simply stated, it is a ceramic pot. Ollas used for plant irrigation are unglazed.

This ancient form of plant irrigation uses seepage from buried pots to deliver a steady supply of water beneath the ground. The vessel is placed in a hole and covered with soil, leaving the opening above soil. The olla is then filled with water and covered with a lid. The permeable properties of the unglazed pot will then allow water to gradually seep through its sides into the surrounding ground. Plants are placed in the ground near the pot. As long as the olla is kept filled with water, the plant has water at its roots.

Four benefits of using olla irrigation pots are:

* The pots don't clog or lose water to evaporation as other systems can.

* Plants aren't overwatered as they only draw as much water as they need.

* Water usage is greatly reduced.

* Gardeners don't have to be on hand for frequent watering.

Ollas retail for around $27 for a large pot. However, you can make one yourself for about a third of that cost -- or FREE if you have the materials on hand!

You will need two unglazed terracotta flower pots that are the same size, one 4" pot, duct tape, Gorilla glue and silicone waterproof sealant.

Place duct tape over the drain hole of one of the larger pots. Use a caulking gun to fill the hole with silicone sealant. Wet the lip of one pot and apply the glue. Invert one pot on top of the other.

Moisten the bottom of the 4" pot with water and glue it on top of the pot with the OPEN drain hole, making SURE the holes are aligned.

Wrap these with duct tape for stability and allow to cure overnight. The glue will expand.

The next day, remove the tape and scrape any excess glue from the sides. Check the top drain holes and make sure they are still opened. If the glue has expanded to close the hole, you'll need to ream it back open using the narrow end of a file.

Your homemade olla now looks like a space capsule. Apply silicone sealant to the seams at the middle and where the 4" pot joins the top.

Let this cure overnight. The next day, check for leaks by filling the pot. You will notice a pleasant glugging sound as it fills.

If there are leaks, use a pencil to mark the spots, invert the pot, let it drain, dry and re-apply sealant. Test again for leaks after this application cures.

Watch your filled pot and you will notice the terracotta changes color as the water permeates through the sides.

Another alternative is to bury a tall pot and use a

dinner plate as a lid. Here's a video demonstrating that method:

To use your olla, bury it leaving the 4" pot elevated above the ground. I painted the 4" section white to make it watertight and prevent any seepage from the above ground terracotta. A small saucer or large flat stone can be used to cover the opening, discouraging mosquitoes and preventing water loss. Here's a video demonstrating how to incorporate an olla in your garden.

read more “ Olla Plant Watering System Saves Time & Water ”