I learn The Human body puzzle

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I have been battling extreme fatigue, dizziness and mild depression for the last few months. I was perplexed as nothing much has changed in my lifestyle or diet. The fatigue and inability to focus also made me feel defeated. I questioned what was the purpose for all the work I had been doing to heal my body holistically. It is hard to think straight when the body I had to relearn how it functions is not ticking the way I understand it. I finally went to my GP and asked for some help. I really didn't know what could be the cause, was it my thyroid? Was I anemic even though I consume so much protein, including offals? How about all the dark leafy greens I eat and the nettle teas I drink. What could it be? My GP suggested I get some blood work done and go from there.

The body's wisdom

The night before I got my blood work results, I had an odd craving for a cup of nettle tea with molasses, I haven't used molasses for a long time and it was tucked in the back of the cupboard. I went with my instinct and made myself of this black iron rich tea before bed.

As I stumbled through my extreme fatigue, I decided to revisit one of my supplements - Betaine, HCL and pepsin. I do not know what brought me back to it. When I took this supplement few years ago, I went too much too fast and eventually stopped taking it because too much stomach acid can be painful. This time, I experimented with the dosage according to Empowered Sustance's suggestions and was feel some improvement in my digestion.

How does this all come together to give me the ah-a moment?

When I looked at my bloodwork, it shows my ferritin is below normal range, which means I am anemic. Still scratching my head, I searched the internet on how I can restore my iron naturally, especially when I seem to be eating the right foods already. Then I found this article from Nourishingplot.com that tied everything together.  According to the article,

Unfortunately, my GP did not notify me about my bloodwork results being out of range. He said he wouldn't call me if everything looks good. So I went to my trusty Integrated Pharmacy and asked my Pharmacist. I brought my blood work results to show him to see what his opinion is. He spotted the same concerns I have. His suggestion is to boost my iron, B12 and adrenal support with supplements and redo blood work in 6 weeks.

Learn more about supplement while on Autoimmune Protocol here

One week after starting supplements

I am in fascinated at how much there is to learn about the body, I never imagined being anemic can affect me so much. I have noticed my energy and mood improving dramatically after 5 days on the supplements. Interestingly, my eating habits have changed. Stay tuned for post about my new eating routine.

I am relieved to have this new game plan with addressing my low stomach acid so I can restore my ferritin and improve my thyroid function. What I have learned from this is to let the body guide me and go with the flow. The body is like puzzle, each piece is linked to another, when you find how they fit together to make the big picture, it is a moment to celebrate! This thought brings to mind a puzzle my kids have, "I learn about the Human body" puzzle set,  I thought I would include it here as a tongue in cheek reminder for how I navigate toward better health.

The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle

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An Amazing Resource Available Only Until May 25th!

I am so excited to share this amazing deal with you! The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle contains 45 e-books (worth over $500) and 26 discount codes all for just $39! But hurry, it’s only on sale until May 25th!

If you aren't familiar with e-book bundles, they typically include a variety of e-books as well as discount codes, all for a huge discount and sold for a limited time. Not all bundles are a good deal and I only support those few that provide a large variety of the best-quality resources for a truly amazing deal--and the Autoimmune Wellness Bundle definitely delivers!

This is the very first bundle to focus on exclusively autoimmune protocol-friendly resources! And it

contains all of them! Yes, every single AIP e-book ever created--including cookbooks, meal plans, and guides--are included in this bundle! Even better, this bundle is full of lifestyle guides to help you tackle all the other stuff too, like stress management, sleep, body image, and movement. Need help troubleshooting the autoimmune protocol? Then you’ll love the collection of included e-books that takes you beyond the basics to help you hone in on root issues and regain your health. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, autoimmune expert and author of The Paleo Approach has personally vetted every single resource included in this bundle. The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle is quite simply the best AIP resource on the planet! And it’s only available until Monday! Check out all the details here.

The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle features 45 e-books and 26 discount codes for just $39. That is over 92% off what you would pay if you bought each e-book separately! Plus, you could save hundreds more dollars by taking advantage of the coupon codes!

Included in this bundle:

• 15 AIP Cookbooks and Meal Plans (total value $188)
• 15 Lifestyle and Exercise Guides (total value $207)
• 15 Beyond the Basics e-books (total value $136)
• 9 Brand-new e-books
• Best of AIP Cookbook, exclusive to this bundle!
• 26 Discount Codes for AIP-friendly vendors and products

And, it’s only available for six days! Yes, this amazing sale ends on Monday May 25, so go grab it right now!

And if you buy it right now you are automatically entered to win a new giveaway every single day remaining in this sale! That’s six amazing giveaways if you buy it right now, each with fabulous prizes including two chances to win a Kindle Fire HD and the grand prize of an

All-Expense Paid Trip for Two to Paleo F(x) 2016 worth $2600! 

Act now for the best chances to win! Every giveaway is international andno restrictions apply! No purchase necessary. Click here for more details.

Even if you don’t follow the autoimmune protocol, you will love the Autoimmune Wellness Bundle!

The cookbooks included are filled with delicious recipes that everyone will enjoy and the majority of the additional resources are useful no matter who you are!

As if a great collection of e-books wasn’t enough, the bundle also includes exclusive discount codes from all my favorite companies and authors that make AIP -compliant foods, products, and programs!

In addition to getting 45 e-books for only 87¢ each, you could save hundreds more dollars

by taking advantage of these coupons! The potential value of these discounts and coupon codes hasn’t even been added to the advertised value of the bundle!

But you could easily recoup the entire cost of the bundle just by using one or two of these coupons!

This bundle is also your first opportunity to purchase NINE brand-new e-books! Yes, 9 e-books were created specifically for The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle! What an opportunity to be the first to get your hands on these new resources for a price that just can’t be beat! This includes the Best of AIP Cookbook contains over 160 recipes from the best autoimmune chefs in the community!

It’s a fantastic book and you can only get it here!

Here is one of my contributed recipe - Click to see more

The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle is an entirely digital product, which means you can get instant access by purchasing it right now! It’s compatible with your computer, tablet and smartphone! 

(Instructions are at the bottom of the bundle website if you need them.)

Now you see why I’m so excited about this bundle! Wait! How can you offer so many resources at such a steep discount?

E-book bundles typically include a variety of e-books and other digital resources sold for a price far

lower than what you would pay for each e-book individually. How does this work? There’s two major

incentives for authors to donate their e-books to bundles: expanding their audience and affiliate commissions. Chances are good that you won’t be familiar with every e-book included in a bundle sale. This is what’s in it for the authors: the large number of people who look at their e-books (but normally wouldn’t have) and become new fans. When bundles have a strong theme like this one, this advantage goes both ways: you are the perfect target audience for the e-book contributors and they are great resources for you! Contributing authors also become affiliates for the bundle so there’s still a mechanism for financial compensation for the hard work they put in to creating a great resource.

Bundles also typically contain discount codes. Again, this is what’s in it for the companies: you might tryout a new product and become a new regular shopper. Because bundles are such great deals, the excitement is very high, sales tend to be fantastic, and this amounts to substantial exposure to new

markets. And hopefully, the huge range of discounts included in this bundle will alert you to some great AIP products you didn’t know about yet!

This model only works when bundles are very thought fully organized, provide unique and high quality content, and are sold for a very limited time. The excitement over a legitimately amazing deal means lots of sales and lots exposure for the contributors. When bundle sales last too long or when there’s too many very similar bundle sales to choose from or when the advertising for a bundle includes overinflated values, then the excitement fades and so do the benefits to the contributors. The organizers of the Autoimmune Wellness Bundle are fully honoring the contributions from so many authors and vendors by doing this right! That’s why this bundle was so carefully crafted and is only

available until May 25th!  

Squash pork sausage with AIP " 4 spices " seasoning salt

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This recipe post is a two parter; 

1. How to use your leftover cooked squash or yam to make a complete AIP protein and starch anytime snack 
2. My AIP version of " 4 spices " seasoning to jazz up your dishes with an Asian flare. 

I have been playing around to find an AIP version of 5 spice seasoning and it is hard to mimic the non-AIP spices like Star Anise and fennel. I have come up with this combination of AIP compliant spices that makes my meat dishes delicious and certainly add an Asian flare. The key spice is Cekur aka Sand Ginger commonly used in Malaysian dishes. Cekur, Kencur, Galanga, 沙姜 in Chinese, is a cousin of ginger root we normally use but is more fragrant. Look for this powdered spice in your local Asian markets or you can get it here. Sometimes they are marked as ginger powder in English so look for the Chinese characters above on the packaging. I keep a batch mixed up and use them in my dry rubs, marinades, seasoning and finishing salt. I know this spice mix is what gives this tender leftover Squash Pork Sausage a special kick in the flavour department. I hope you like it cause my kids certainly didn't leave me any from my first batch. Their respond was " Oh, sorry mom, we ate them all because we thought you couldn't eat it." 

Nice one kids!

Makes 12 patties        Prep time 10 mins        Cook time 15 mins ( 10 to cook squash if you don't have any leftover and 5 mins to cook up the sausage ) 

Ingredients

• 1lb. Ground pasture or Organic pork
• 1/2 c cooked and mashed kobucha squash or peeled yam
• 2 - 3 tbsp of minced fresh herbs of your choice, I used green onions, parsley and thyme here
• 1-2 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp himalayan pink salt or AIP " 4 spice" seasoning salt (see recipe below)
• cooking fat of you choice ( I used my Pasture Lard from Big Bear Ranch) 

AIP " 4 spices " seasoning salt

• 1 part ground cinnamon
• 1 part ground ginger powder
• 1 part cekur ( aka. galangal) powder, check your local Asian stores or order here
• 1 part ground clove 
• 1 part himalayan pink sea salt
• ( Optional ) Black pepper if you are not in AIP elimination phase

Instructions

1. Heat cooking fat in frying pan on medium heat
2. Saute chopped mushroom 1-2 mins to get most of the moisture out
3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed
4. Form meat mix into large meatballs and place them into pan
5. Cook for 1 min before flattening with fork, cook for 2-3 mins
6. Flip over patties and cook, another 2-3 mins, until inside is not pink

My kids ate them wrapped up in butter lettuce leaves from the garden!

Yoga for digestion

I have been practicing yoga for over 15 years. I am grateful to have learned this amazing practice because it has played a very important role in my recovery and healing.

These are the benefits I have receive from practicing yoga;

• Yoga has helped me deliver two healthy children naturally. I believe an established yoga practice pre-pregnancy and pre-natal yoga prepared my body for childbirth however I was also blessed pregnancies with no complications and small babies 
• Yoga has helped me strengthen my muscles around my mobile joints to prevent injuries. I was constantly injuring my self as a child because of my mobile joints. I often sprain my ankles just from a simple light run. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned my flexible joints was causing me my childhood pains. 
• Yoga has helped me through tough times of being a care giver and facing the unknown future of my IBD diagnosis. Yoga became my escape when I was dealing with caregiving stress. During my early Ulcerative Colitis days, I relied on my home practice especially when I was too weak and sick to attend classes at yoga studios.

Here I would like to share with you the few yoga poses I found exceptionally helpful to aid my digestions and provide comfort from IBD/ IBS symptoms.

Bridge

After I get into this pose, I slightly tapping around my belly starting from lower right hip up around down to lower left to stimulate my colon's function.

Twists 

I find supine twist to be more gentle as shown here, but a seated twist also helps aid digestion by wringing out the body.

Seated Twist

Plough to Shoulder stand 

In the plough or shoulder stand pose, I make soft fists with my hands and lightly "pound" along the sides of my lower back. It helps release trapped gas in my colon.

Wind removing pose  

After loosening up the trapped gas in the last post, this wind removing  pose does exactly what it sound like. It is quite affective so you might want to practice in a private setting, if you know what I mean.

Legs up the wall 

This restorative pose is great to relaxation and edema. Perfect pose to wind down before a good night sleep. 

I hope you find these yoga pose helpful for your digestion. Let me know if you feel any improvements.