Last fall/winter/spring was rough for Soren. He was getting sick all the time and his occasional tummy troubles turned into an all-the-time misery. I wrote a short bit about it
HERE. Anyway, it would take me a long time to write every detail of the last year, so I'll try my best to give you the abridged version.
After a handful of unsuccessful visits to the doctor, Soren was referred to OHSU Pediatric Gastroenterology. I was getting desperate for answers. Not only was my little Soren in misery, I was a stressed-out ball of anxiety myself. I dropped a good 15 lbs without even trying! Still, the thought of going to OHSU didn't settle with me completely. Our family doctor told me that if OHSU didn't call within a week to give her office a call. Over a week went by and OHSU didn't call. I was sort of relieved because I had already started Soren onto the path to what I was hoping would be some recovery. Soren was already feeling better! So, I said a big prayer..."Lord, if we're not supposed to go to OHSU please shut the door...please, please, PLEASE!" Still, I decided to call our family doctor to tell her that OHSU hadn't called. The nurse said that they were a few days late in getting the referral sent out, but that it was definitely sent out. She said to call in a few days if OHSU still didn't contact me. To this day, they have never called...we haven't been to the doctor since.
During our month of visits to the doctor and visits to the lab, I was busy at home doing my own research. I had recently gotten involved with a company called
Young Living Essential Oils and was already having great personal results with the few oils that I had. Although, I hadn't begun using any for Soren and his tummy. I was also trying several diet changes for Soren. I would try one thing after another with no success whatsoever. Most advice was telling me he was allergic to something...but that was proving untrue. His tummy hurt all day...
all day! It would hurt from the moment he woke up till he went to bed. For some time it didn't affect his eating too much, but as it got worse, he began to eat like a bird. He still pooped daily...and it was neither diarrhea, or hard/compact. Forgive me for the TMI, but it was usually several long, skinny poos. In my research I learned that your poo should be fairly firm/formed and the the size of your colon. Soren's was too small.
I was learning a lot about the products offered by YLEO through my friend Shari who had introduced them to me. She has been using the oils for almost 20 years and 30 years ago, through diet and herbs, she helped cure her husband of advanced Lymphoma in the span of 7 weeks (no chemo or radiation)! In fact, he had a tumor the size of a volleyball in his gut that was absolutely GONE in that 7 weeks! When she was introduced to the oils 10 years later and learned that they were exponentially more powerful than the herbs, she was sold. All that to say, she is a wealth of knowledge and testimonies. I had discussed Soren several times with Shari, but it took me a long time to fully be "on-board" with what she had to say. She told me to put him on a cleanse of raw fruits and vegetables to see what would happen. I was reluctant at first, but desperate enough to give it a try. Fortunately, Soren is extremely compliant! It only took two days for me to discover that he wasn't digesting his food...at all. I could see his breakfast in the toilet at lunchtime in full color (didn't look like poo)...and his lunch in the toilet at dinnertime. He was also starving! I thought that maybe his body just wasn't accustomed to the diet change, but Shari was adamant that regardless of diet change, his poo should look like poo!
She suggested enzymes. Again, I was hesitant. The product labels have dosages for adults. I was worried his little tummy couldn't handle it. But, after even more research, I found that most all the oils and supplements are safe for all ages. I also found that I couldn't really overdose him either...the worst that could happen is that he would throw them up. The labels are put on the bottles to appease the law/FDA. Also, because none of the products/oils are FDA approved it's hard to find information about them. Much of the info is shared through testimony. ANYway, it was during this time that YLEO was having a promotion on their probiotic, enzymes, and oil used to aid in digestion. I listened to an informational conference call and took copious notes. After that, I was convinced that these products were going to help my little guy get well. I ordered them ASAP!
At the time I finally received the products, Soren had been enduring tummy pain for over a year and had been enduring CONSTANT tummy pain for at least 2-3 months...all the while, catching every virus on the planet! I immediately started him on the probiotic and enzymes. Each capsule was able to be taken apart so I gave him 1/3-1/2 a capsule at each dosing. He took enzymes with at least two meals a day and the probiotic before bed. I also applied the oil blend on his tummy for times of extra discomfort. I was prepared for a gradual change to start happening over the period of a couple of weeks. His pain was greatly subsided and his poop was normal within TWO DAYS! I was floored! It's been an uphill roller coaster ever since. I say "roller coaster" because there have been several changes to his daily regimen.
YLEO offers several enzymes and enzyme blends, so I experimented with many. Only after a few weeks of splitting the capsules he was on a full dose with better success. He was on the probiotic for 3 straight months and then gradually weaned off by early summer. By August his tummy pain started to return on a regular basis. I was discouraged...but had done even more research and finally settled on the right enzyme. BUT, just as I was about to re-do his routine, YLEO introduced a new dual-capsule enzyme. One capsule releases in the tummy to break down carbs, and one capsule releases in the intestines to break down proteins. After having Soren on the new enzyme for just 2-3 days, his 6-week bout of tummy pain was over. He's been virtually pain-free ever since.
Yes, Soren still gets tummy aches...usually when he has too much sugar or other simple carbs...OR when he spends the day without mommy and forgets to take his enzymes! But, I couldn't be happier with the results of this journey so far. As I have learned more and more, I have discovered that Soren's problems likely stem from his time in the hospital as a baby (story
HERE). He was put on extremely high doses of the strongest antibiotic his little body could take and it destroyed his immune system. I have learned that your immune system stems from your gut. If your gut isn't working properly, then your body has a harder time fighting off disease. I also learned that the average person's enzyme stores in the USA is virtually nil by age 30. Our diets are filled with an overabundance of processed foods (including our "healthy" produce) that have little nutritional value and fill our overworked livers with harmful toxins. Those toxins build up in our bodies and manifest...creating disease and cancer. Enzymes, I'm learning, are the keys to optimal health! They are what break down and assimilate the nutrients we eat. BUT, because we eat "dead" foods stripped of their good bacteria and enzymes through pasteurization, irradiation, and canning...we are not replenishing our enzyme stores. Make sense? Well...it's the best I can do for now.
Here is some information on a few of the key products that helped Soren's tummy:
Life 5 Probiotic
Essentialzymes 4
Di-Gize Essential Oil
Please note that not all essential oils are made alike. The ones from the health food store have little to no therapeutic value and canNOT be taken internally. All YLEO are safe to take internally, unless otherwise noted, because of the pureness and are of the highest therapeutic value because of the way they are distilled. If you are at all interested in starting a journey of your own, I'd be happy to help steer you in the right direction. Oh the stories I can share! Email me at
nicolelouiseb@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with a physician.
We actually ordered two jars of peppercorn because I thought everything would need two coats. That wasn't the case! I couldn't believe how completely black the set was after just one coat! This is a shot of what it looked like just after I sanded off some of the black.
It's hard to tell the subtle change from sanded to finished, but this is after I toned it with the antique brown stuff and applied two coats of Wipe-On Poly (LOVE that stuff!)
Her black, white, and yellow bumble bee bedding (MY idea...ha!) compliments the set quite nicely.
