Taking Control

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.

~ Ann Wigmore

Keeping our immune systems strong is the key to good health & those of us with autoimmune system disorders know just how important this is. I truly believe that for me - the food I eat or choose not to eat has made a huge impact on my health... I vividly remember being told by numerous endocrinologists that I would never recover from Graves Disease & there was no way a vegan diet would make a scrap of difference, in fact one of those medical experts told me that being vegan would make things worse...Incredible! They constantly bullied me & tried to push me into taking extremely drastic measures to "cure" my thyroid. They believed (& probably still do) that the best treatment for an over-active thyroid is for the sufferer to drink radioactive iodine. They would all try to convince me that it was the right path to take & not one consultant listened to anything I had to say. I was treated as an idiot when I refused the conventional treatment & when I dared to talk about living with my condition, rather than looking to cure it - they really thought I was insane.

Here I am, after 7 years of dealing with the ups & downs of Graves Disease, I have now managed to keep my autoimmune system stable for nearly 2 years... I've continued to learn as much as possible about me & what I need to do to remain healthy - which is definitely a vegan, predominately organic diet, good quality drinking water, plenty of sleep, time outdoors & rest. When any of these things dip even slightly,  my thyroid starts to swell & I can tell that I need to tweak the balance. Sunshine has definitely made a positive difference, so I get as much as I possibly can & when I can't - I take a vegan vitamin D supplement. Nettles are still a big feature each day & I have also been treating myself with a low dose of homoeopathic kelp & calcium. This whole combination has completely changed my life - thanks to my gut feeling, the internet & my natural health bibles!

Many ailments can be improved by eating a good plant-based diet, but most people believe changing the way they eat is a bigger step than popping a pill. In the UK, once you go down that road of long term medication - your health is not reviewed enough & for some people, it can be quite a battle to get their symptoms tested & condition checked on a regular basis - especially if you are elderly. Bebe takes quite a lot of tablets daily  & we recently asked the GP to explain what they are for (we had already researched everything on the net, but wanted to find out more). As it turned out, she takes several as a precautionary measure! I just find this crazy, especially as she hasn't actually been tested for these conditions... It is just assumed that she is susceptible because of her age & taking the drugs is for the best! What's even crazier is the fact that the combination of drugs upset her stomach & was causing severe indigestion - so what's the answer? Strong indigestion tablets of course!!!

Each morning, Bebe asks us about her medication - does she need to take it all? What would happen if she doesn't take it? We don't really know... The GP said it's up to Bebe at the end of the day, whether she takes it or not, but they would advise to continue. We dish them out every day & leave the decision up to her. Most of the time, she takes the tablets & occasionally she'll just take some of them... It doesn't seem to make any difference, so we just don't hassle her or worry about it all.

Sime & I recently had forms to fill in from the NHS to ensure we are still registered with our GP surgery, we decided not to bother & although it probably doesn't really mean we are de-registered, we feel it's quite liberating. I have no intention of having any smear tests or mammograms & although I'm flying towards menopause with interesting hot flushes & weird period pattern - I'm content to let nature take its course, I'm not in pain or have any concerns. I like to stay in control of my health & know I won't need tests or other intervention. When I was at high school, I refused the TB & rubella vaccinations... I was harassed during each pregnancy because of my "irresponsible" decision not to have the rubella vaccine, but I didn't get German measles & the kidlets were fine! There is so much scaremongering regarding vaccinations & over the years I've realised that I made the right decision. Unfortunately, we were persuaded to get the girls jabbed as infants & maybe it was a good idea - they did both attend school for a few years after all... I remember both of us breathing a sigh of relief knowing that we had protected them against diphtheria & polio! At least we came to our senses when Hugo was born & we are confident that his immune system is strong, probably more so than anyone who has been injected with various diseases. 

The best things you can do in life... According to us!!!

Keep your kids free of vaccinations, home educate them, educate yourself, watch the films: Earthlings, Forks Over Knives & The Beautiful Truth. Stop eating animals & their secretions. Make good food choices & eat a natural diet with a variety of fruit, vegetables, legumes & grains. Go outside, walk amongst nature & get plenty of rest. Ditch your television, read, only buy things you need, do stuff you enjoy & surround yourself with beings you love, who make you laugh & fill you with happiness!

Let us know what you are doing to stay well & happy...

Kay (& Sime)

xx