Hemp oil (or hemp seed oil) is one of my absolute favorite natural beauty products. I am slowly phasing out using synthetic, chemical-laden products on my body, and hemp oil is great for so many things.  I've used this as an all-over moisturizer, facial cleanser (really works great on irritated skin and helps to even out skin tone... it even helps clear up acne), shaving gel, hair conditioner, massage oil and my new favorite: hair styling oil.  

A few months ago, the media reported a story that was picked up by thousands of papers and news stations declaring that a new study had found organic food was not healthier than conventional.  

For the masses who readily accept the sweeping declarations of the media and corporate funded research, this was welcome news. They had no need to spend extra money on organic fruits and vegetables or organic milk, eggs or meat.  As the study had reported, the nutritional values were the same.

Two years prior to this study, my husband and I spent extra money, gas and time to change to a completely organic diet.  We went from regular dairy to organic dairy, processed lunch meat to organic lunch meat, hormone and antibiotic-filled meat to grass fed, natural or organic meat, processed sugar to evaporated cane juice or local honey, etc.  

If the findings of this study were accurate, we should not have seen a change in our health.  We should not have lost weight.  We should not have seen a change in our hormones.  Oh... but... we abso-freakin'-lutely did.  And the world of so-called scientific research scoffs at my anecdotal evidence... but here it is anyway.

I lost INCHES. My pants were literally falling off of me.  My hormones changed so drastically that I experienced a drastic and severe hormonal fluctuation very much like that of coming off of birth control pills or hormone therapy.  My cycle totally changed.  And once my body got used to eating organic food (which, by the findings of one study, should have had no effect whatsoever), I felt better than I had felt in my entire life.  I felt clean. My body didn't ache. I had no brain fog.  And the same goes for my husband.  But that's just anecdotal evidence. 

What disturbs me most about this study is the glaring lack of concern for what the food does NOT contain.  Naturally, an apple that has been sprayed with pesticides and shined up with chemical wax to make it more appealing and to have a longer shelf life will have the SAME nutritional value as an apple that has been grown organically.  I'm not entirely sure what genius would have thought otherwise.

Let's put it this way: I have two glasses of water. They are both H2O.  They both have the same chemical structure. They are both clear.  Here's the difference: one glass of water is simply pure, filtered H2O... nothing else.  The other glass is, of course, also H2O but to "preserve" the clarity and appeal, I've added a drop of arsenic (bear with me).  I know you see where I'm going.  Because the poison was added to the water to maintain its clarity and shelf life, it's possible to charge less.  There's less monetary loss when the shelf life is extended.  This is all really besides my initial point, however.  

The point is this: why are we not more concerned about what's being ADDED to conventional products?  Of course an apple is an apple (unless it's GMO... totally different story). I could take two apples and cover one with human excrement.  They're both still apples -- one just has something added to it.  And which would you prefer eat? 

I've really ranted more than I intended to. My initial intention was to more or less explain why I eat organic (or at least eating without preservatives, hormones, antibiotics and GMO) and why eating this way is actually what will make or break your health. 

In the next post, I'll list my reasons for eating organic foods (or simply foods that are free of preservatives, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and GMO products) as well as explain why organic living will change your health.  


Be free. Be happy. Be natural.

-Elisabeth

Two days ago I ventured into a catalog return and overstock store about 30 minutes before they closed for the evening.  I usually find amazing half price deals on unusual items you can't find in most stores around here.  As I was browsing through the beauty section, a small box caught my eye. I opened it up to find two small clear, silicone cups.  The back of the box referenced Traditional Chinese Medicine, so I was instantly intrigued. I had no time to research the product, so I snatched it up and bought it before they closed (Thank God for 30 day return policies).  

When I got home, I began doing some research on these Bellabaci Cups and discovered an alternative healing technique I had never heard of before called "cupping."  Apparently cupping is a relative of acupuncture, but instead of using needles, glass cups are heated then placed on the body and create a suction.  There are other variations as well, specifically where rubber cups can be used to create suction and massage the body. 

The Bellabaci Cups are medical-grade silicone cups patterned after this "cupping" therapy.  They claim to help reduce cellulite, fade stretch marks, ease migraines and headaches, relieve digestive trouble and more.  

Okay. I am still unbelievably amazed at the effectiveness of this acupressure point. I want to know where my face went. Or maybe I don't.  I'm just thankful that when I look in the mirror I see my young, slim face again.

A few weeks ago I had the notion to start a container garden. I've never gardened. I've never so much as planted a seed.  I have picked a squash or two from my parents' garden before, but I've never actually placed my own two hands into the dirt and attempted to grow my own food.    

My husband and I often discuss the lack of true open-mindedness in our society and how it has radically limited advancement and growth in every area of our lives and culture. When you look at great discoveries of the past, they come from individuals who are not convinced that the science of their day has it all figured out.  They veer from the logical path and question the status quo. They risk mockery and judgment and step away from the strongly held beliefs of their society.  They are open to something different and something new -- something that opposes the "truth of the time."    

Open-Mindedness Precedes Growth
It's always sad to hear someone quickly dismiss an idea or a theory without ever giving it an opportunity to breathe.  Immediate dismissal is the mark of the narrow mind -- even if the idea flies in the face of logic, reason and science -- and it is a definite sign of stagnated growth. 

We have a tendency to believe that our way is the best way -- the only way -- and that anyone who believes differently is a bumbling fool who has not yet been enlightened.  We don't consider that we could be the bumbling fools. We look back to our past and see our ancestors as ignorant and uncivilized.  We never stop to consider that our so-called advancements could lead to our ultimate downfall and perhaps our ancestors understood something that we don't.  

We have laws of physics on this earth; however, history has shown us that those "laws" can be wrong. Without questioning standard beliefs -- without realizing the science of our day may be flawed -- we cannot grow.  

Without open-mindedness, the world may still be regarded as flat.  Without open-mindedness, we wouldn't know that time is relative.  Without open-mindedness, we may never have had the advances of alternating current (thank you, Tesla, for your radical open-mindedness).  

So open-mindedness is necessary for growth and new discoveries.  True open-mindedness does not quickly dismiss the impossible, the ridiculous, the illogical, the "pseudoscience" -- because true open-mindedness is OPEN to possibility and new truth and is willing to admit that it may be wrong.  The quick dismissal is the mark of the narrow-minded -- no matter how open minded they believe they are.  

So what does all this have to do with natural health?  

This website is in its infancy. It's a bit bare... really really naked actually, but I will be adding more content daily.  

Natural health and wellness is something that I study, practice and believe in, and I want to share how much it has changed my life and how easy it can be to begin improving your health and your life.

It’s important to understand that making small improvements in your life can have a big payoff.  Most of us feel that if we can’t change everything then we shouldn't change anything – an all or nothing attitude. 

But think of it as taking small steps rather than not measuring up.  Think of it as a journey.  You can’t venture across the country in one day – and you wouldn't want to!  Think of all the beauty you'd miss along the way and the toll it would take on your body to try to rush from one destination to the next. 

The journey to natural living is the same way.  We have grown up eating an American diet of refined, bleached carbohydrates, high sugars, genetically modified foods, instant dinners and preservatives that we can’t even pronounce.  We live in our little boxes on a hillside and watch our television boxes and neglect the world of nature that is just outside our doorsteps and city limits. 

For most of us, we don’t realize what an effect this has had on our health -- and not just that – but also on becoming well-balanced, spiritually aware, truly creative and original individuals.

So think of this as a journey – a journey to health and a journey to becoming you.  

Bear with me as I add new content and please sign up for my email list. Feel free to send me questions or comments. I would love to hear from you and will make every effort to respond.

Be free. Be happy. Be natural.

Elisabeth