L1T: Leah’s 1 Thing – Spring

Spring is a good thing, right?

Hi! As many of you know I published a newsletter for a few years. I have decided to change the format a bit, to better communicate with you. I am pleased to introduce “Leah’s 1 Thing” to you. This will be a weekly (mostly) communication with you about what’s going on. I am very excited to be bringing you interesting information you can use!

The pros and cons of spring Spring L1T: Leah’s 1 Thing - Spring Leahs 1 thing

I recently received a phone call from one of my “graduates,” someone who is well on their way to recovery, or who has recovered. “Linda” has recovered from fibromyalgia and most of the coexisting conditions for over a year now. She even sent me a note recently about how she had been out dancing for the first time in ten years. She said the look on her husband’s face was priceless.

Linda confided to me that she wasn’t feeling as well as she had the last month. After doing some detective work of going over her food, sleep, supplements, current stressors, etc., we concluded that it was probably Spring causing the slight downturn.

For many in the Northern Hemisphere, the return of Spring can help begin an upward spiral of feeling better and better. The increase in sunlight and outdoor activities are like a tonic to the body and soul. However, due to plant and animal life reactivating, there are new conditions in the environment. This is part of what causes seasonal allergies, and can also cause a downturn in some peoples’ health.

Further, the body goes through daily, monthly and seasonal cycles of clearing. As an example, if a person wakes at 3 am consistently, it can often be an indication of liver dysfunction. That is because the liver cleanses itself during the hours of 2-4am. At the change of the seasons, our bodies change too. We are part of our environment and our environment is part of us.

Linda initially recovered using the Freedom from Fibromyalgia Method as described in my book, Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete Recovery. She did what is known in the book as The Healing Cleanse, a combination of a therapeutic-grade probiotic and the detoxification mineral zeolite. She used these supplements at the detoxification amount for several months. (The detoxification amount is generally three times the maintenance amount.) Linda was doing the normal maintenance amount of The Healing Cleanse for the last six months or so, and it seemed fine. In the past month, she felt a worsening of symptoms, even though she had not changed her food and supplements, but she noted her stress was a little higher.

The wonderful thing about these supplements is that you can customize the amount for the way you feel. People ask me all the time how long they have to be on The Healing Cleanse. My standard answer is as long as you are seeing beneficial results month over month. In my own personal case, I did the detoxification amount for a good month and then stayed on a higher maintenance amount of two times the normal maintenance amount, for a couple of years. I continue to stay at a maintenance amount now, because of the toxins in our environment we are continually exposed to.

After this discussion, Linda decided that she should go back to the detox amount (three times the normal maintenance amount) for the next week or so, to see if she gets out of this funk. After just one day of doing this, she had already started to feel better! That’s powerful!

My husband suffered from seasonal allergies for years. It was so bad, that he had to take a prescription medication – the only prescription med he ever took on a regular basis. I started “dosing” his morning coffee with zeolites and another supplement that has helped me, an immune system booster made from the medicinal mushroom agaricus blazei, Agaricus Gold. Now he rarely even has seasonal allergies – and if he does, he just takes an OTC med, maybe once or twice the entire season.

In my own case, Agaricus Gold turbo-charged my recovery efforts. It removed the constant sore throat I had, and my lymph nodes under my jaw were no longer perpetually swollen. (These are classic symptoms of Chronic Fatigue!) Agaricus Gold is a must-have product in our home during the winter to ward off colds and in the spring to help prevent seasonal allergy symptoms.

All of the supplements mentioned in this article can be found on www.RipplesHealthShop.com, and you can get 5% off your entire order with the coupon code SPRING17 until April 30, 2017. You can also purchase my book there, or my website www.TheFibroLady.com, or even on Amazon. If you are interested in working with me one-on-one, please email me to set up a free discovery session at Leah@TheFibroLady.com.

The Fibro Lady is an International Speaker

The Fibro Lady is now an International Speaker international speaker The Fibro Lady is an International Speaker Leah InternationalFour years ago Leah recovered from fibromyalgia and wrote her first book, Freedom from Fibromyalgia, 7 Steps to Complete Recovery. At that point, she wasn’t anticipating being an international speaker, but she was on a mission to tell as many people as possible that complete recovery from Fibromyalgia IS possible. After writing her book she has appeared for book signings and speaking engagements at:

  • Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter meetings
  • Conscious Con
  • Victory of Light
  • Cincinnati Women’s Expo
  • Flourish Holistic Health Fair
  • The Weston A. Price Foundation Wise Traditions Annual Conference in Alabama in 2016
  • The North Carolina Integrative Medicine Society Annual Conference in 2016
  • The Dayton Book Expo
  • Eastway Behavioral Health and many more!

An Invitation to be an International Speaker

Last year Leah was contacted by the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition Alumni Association. They organize a conference each year in an effort to support their alumni, and others who are interested in trending health topics. They were very interested in Leah’s message of recovery and asked her to speak at their 2017 conference. Up to this point, her public speaking engagements have been within the United States.  In May, Leah will travel to Toronto, Ontario, to earn the title of International Speaker.

The 10th Annual Canadian Holistic Nutrition Conference will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2017. Leah will be speaking at 11:45 am. She will be joining several other presenters including Kyla Fox, Dr. Natasha Turner, Dr. Nora Pope, Dr. Kristy Prouse, Denise Marek.

Last year she wrote her second book (a cookbook), Eat to Energize. She is working on her third book which she hopes to complete in 2018.

If you would like to book Leah for a speaking engagement or book signing, contact her by email: leah@thefibrolady.com.

Why You Need a Therapeutic Probiotic

Why You Need a Therapeutic-Grade Probiotic

organic probiotic probiotic Why You Need a Therapeutic Probiotic organic probiotic
All the steps in Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete Recover are important for complete recovery of fibromyalgia and the coexisting conditions, but I get asked often if there was only one thing I could do, what would it be?  My answer is always Step 3: Quickly Begin to Heal Your Gut.  If you heal your gut, then that will eventually make the way for all of the other healing.  (That being said, if you do all seven steps in order it is the fastest, most efficient way to heal from fibromyalgia, of which I am aware.)

If you have the symptoms of fibromyalgia, rest assured you have a damaged digestive system (gut).  You more than likely have other issues as well, such as toxicity, but the digestive system is at the crux of most of the issues with fibromyalgia.

Healing your gut is actually a long and slow process which can take years.  The only way I know of to jump-start the healing process is to use a therapeutic-grade probiotic at high levels for an extended period of time (thirty to ninety days or more)  This, combined with a simple no-fake-food diet, and a detoxification element such as zeolites, is what we call The Healing Cleanse.  (You can find in-depth information about this process in Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete Recovery.)

Probiotics fortunately are receiving mainstream attention and now you can buy them everywhere.  I remember trying the yogurt and the various “pearls” all to no avail.  So what’s the difference between foods such as yogurt and raw sauerkraut, supplements you can buy in stores, and the supplement that saved my life?   Foods are great for maintaining gut health, while probiotics at the store are just not very strong because they do not contain multiple strains of beneficial microbes that colonize like therapeutic-grade probiotics do.

 

Features to Look for in a Therapeutic-Grade Probiotic:

  • Several strains of beneficial microbes such as:
  • Lactobacilli
  • Bifidobacteria
  • Beneficial yeast strains such as Saccharomyces boulardii
  • (antagonist to the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans)
  • Colonizing
  • Organic
  • Free of gluten
  • No GMOs, artificial coloring, flavorings, or preservatives Every batch tested

Therapeutic Grade Probiotic probiotic Why You Need a Therapeutic Probiotic prescript assist probioticThe brand of therapeutic grade probiotic I use is SH FermPlus Pro.  (I use a maintenance amount daily and a few times a year I do a “detox” for a period of time.)  This is the probiotic I consider to have saved my life, and I know a lot of others that feel the same way about it.

If for some reason you cannot use SH FermPlus Pro, perhaps maybe there is an ingredient in it you are allergic to, then my second choice is Prescript Assist.  It is available in chewable tablets or capsules.  (SH FermPlus Pro is only available in a powder that needs to be mixed in water.)  I give the Prescript Assist chewable tablets to my child who is too small to take capsules, and I use the capsules while traveling.

The main point is to address healing of the gut.  If you would like more information on this subject, get my free eBook, Lose Up to 15 Pounds in 30 Days Without Exercising, Starving or Stressing (by signing up for my newsletter) and see the section on “The Healing Cleanse.”  Feel free to contact me, Leah McCullough, at www.TheFibroLady.com or at The Fibro Lady on FaceBook and Twitter. This video also explains the difference. Once you begin this process, there are ways to maintain a healthy gut. You may have to seriously consider what you eat and drink. When you are ready, please visit the site, check out the recipes and sign up for my newsletter, which will give you great ideas for continuing to heal and take your life back!

Pets for Fibromyalgia

Why Do Many Chronicly Ill Patients have Pets?

Pets & Fibromyalgia pets Pets for Fibromyalgia Annie and LeahI get to talk to people every day that have a chronic illness of some kind.  When talking about comfort measures, an often overlooked one is pets.  When I was severely ill with fibromyalgia and its coexisting conditions I had several pets that meant the world to me.  They were part of my family and my link to the world.

I lived in a two-story house and I had to go down both flights of steps to let the dogs out into the yard.  Some days it was all I could do to get up and down those steps to let them out.  I was actually wishing for a one level house, which, ironically now that I’m well, I now live in.  But going up and down those steps, and letting them outside and interacting with them, was part of the bridge that kept me in this world.

It can be very difficult for “normal” people to understand how isolating it is to have a chronic illness.  In my case, I lost my job, I lost most of my friends; my family relationships were strained, and at the worst points, the only “social” interactions I had were with health care providers.  I wasn’t shopping, going to restaurants or going to movies.  I felt like an elderly shut-in person, which is awful for anyone but, for an outgoing and friendly person such as myself, that is even more terrible.

There were times when I was so depressed and in so much pain that the only things that kept me in this world were my husband, my parents and my pets.  My sweet little pets were my non-judgmental friends that were a great comfort to me.  Petting and interacting with them was a tangible way to get some much needed social and emotional stimulation.  I was very fortunate that my husband was able to take care of the litter boxes and take the dogs for a walk.  The only thing I could do with them was let them out into our fenced back yard, as I mentioned above.

When I started to recover, my fur babies were right there with me.  In the mornings I would get up to spend some time with my husband before he left for work.  Normally, after he left, I would go back to bed, and sometimes that would be the best sleep I could get.  As I started to recover, I started sleeping normally and I didn’t have to lay down in the morning.  After my husband left in the morning, the gang would start trotting down the hall to the bedroom, but when I didn’t follow they got confused.  This was one of the signs for me that things had really changed.

Be Fibro Free pets Pets for Fibromyalgia Issy and Leah 2One of the more “impossible” things I thought could never happen was horseback riding:  I was too heavy, my boots wouldn’t fit because my feet had grown, and my knees were shot.  Much to my surprise, after I lost 70 pounds, my feet and calves shrunk so much that my from college fit again and my knees didn’t hurt anymore.  I began taking riding lessons again and after an over 20 year hiatus I was shocked how my body remembered to ride.  It was wonderful!

I have been so well for over seven years now so all those precious pets have now gotten old and passed away.  We wanted to wait awhile before we got any more pets, but the house didn’t feel like a home without a dog and a cat.  After our last cat died we only waited three months before we got our new cat Mitzi, and after our last dog died we only waited five months before we got our new dog, Annie.

What types of comfort measures have you taken that have worked to alleviate the social and emotional isolation that having a chronic illness makes?  Also I would love to see a picture of your fur babies, preferably with you!

The #1 Food for Energy

What is the best food to increase energy?

Recover from Fibromyalgia and improve reproductive health  The #1 Food for Energy Leah and new babyDo you need more energy? Besides pain, the main symptom of fibromyalgia that I found life-wrecking was the severe fatigue.

After I recovered, I felt like I had a “normal” amount of energy, but that I could do better. After having my baby, and then running around after a toddler, I needed more energy in order to fulfill the desires of living my dream life. I found it with the number one food for energy…liver.

you can run a marathon  The #1 Food for Energy anything is possibleMy results? I literally went from the couch to the finish line! In just 3 days of consuming liver I felt a major difference in my energy and mood levels. This gave me the extra oomph I needed to start to exercise. I went on to train and complete The Air Force Half Marathon in 2014. Here’s a picture of me at the finish line.

I believe these results were so quick in part because I had already detoxed and healed my gut, the first part of my recovery.

In my book, I talk in-depth about how liver is so nutritious and 3 painless and easy ways to get it into your diet. One is by eating it with a mixture of spices and other meat, such as in my recipe Energizing Chili,

The way that I had the best results was by making my own liver “pills,” but that is not always feasible, especially when I travel. The least painless and easiest way to incorporate liver into your diet is with Desiccated Liver Capsules, and I have found a brand that uses grass-fed beef and is not defatted. This is the brand I use and recommend.

Yours in Joyful Health,

Leah

From now until August 31st you can get the Desiccated Liver for a special price of only $14.95 a bottle with coupon code JULY15. You can order as many bottles as you like! Each product from Ripples’ Health Shop, LLC comes with further detailed instructions for using them.

Who is Buying Freedom from Fibromyalgia?

 

how to recover from fibromyalgia  Who is Buying Freedom from Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia recovery bookBelieve it or not, a lot of people who buy the book Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete

Recovery don’t have fibromyalgia.  Some people buy it for the nutrition information, some for the story

of my recovery, and some for the recipes.  However, the vast majority of people who purchase the book

who do not have FMS, buy it for someone they care about that has fibromyalgia.  It is such a beautiful

thing for me to see the love in their eyes as they think about the person they care about and purchase

the book.

You may not realize how much you are thought about, cared for and loved by those around you.  I know

a lot of folks with FMS are hesitant to spend $30 on themselves for a book, but these folks who love you,

happily invest the money.  Most people feel so helpless, they jump at the chance to give their

loved ones some hope.  Witnessing this has been such an unexpected blessing.  Honestly, it is one of the

best parts of my job!

 

In the spirit of gift-giving, use the promo code MAY15 if you are purchasing the book as a gift (for yourself or a loved-one…after all you should love yourself!)

Yours in Joyful Health,

Leah

 

Anti-Vax Article

Weston A. Price Foundation  Anti-Vax Article image008On January 21, 2015, my letter to the editor concerning an anti-vax propaganda piece that ran in Time Magazine was printed and released in the quarterly journal/magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Wise Traditions.  It is low on the page and titled “Character Assassination” by Leah E. McCullough, Author of Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete Recovery.  They have a world-wide circulation. This article appeared on their website in the Letters section, and in print.  http://www.westonaprice.org/get-involved/letters-winter-2014/

Holistic Guide to Cold and Flu

Leah Winter  Holistic Guide to Cold and Flu Leah WinterHello, everyone!  We are in the middle of winter here in Ohio, in the Midwest of The United States and it is cold!  In the past couple of weeks it seems like many my friends, their kids and their spouses have been getting sick.  Really sick, like “call in sick from work or go to the hospital” sick.

I got some treats in the mail recently and, during a weak moment, I went on a bit of a sugar binge. I preach the ills of sugar, and here I go, succumbing to the thing that causes me a lot of issues.  I think I had a weak moment because I was already a bit depleted from holiday stress, and then I came down with a rare cold.  Boo!

I have been using this fever protocol for a while now, mostly for my little one, but also for me and my husband.  I used the entire protocol for myself for this recent illness, and I feel like I really bounced back!

Symptom-reducing medication for things like coughs and fevers, should really only be used in extreme situations or if the person needs to sleep.  These symptoms are actually helpful to your body to get rid of the germs that are making you feel miserable.  By suppressing the detoxifying effects of fever and cough, the illness can be prolonged and made more severe.

The protocol is a mixture of comforting the person who is sick, while supporting the body in fighting off the illness.  This greatly reduces the duration and severity of illness.  Last year the flu came knocking at our door, and by following this protocol, it was in and out of the house, affecting all three of us, but for only 10 hours!Don't let Cold and Flu Season get You Down  Holistic Guide to Cold and Flu natural flu remedies

First, don’t get sick:

At the first sign of illness:

If illness persists to the point of fever:

  • Keep the person quiet (no rough play, errands, etc.)
  • Keep the person hydrated (broth, Smooth Water, Sweet and Salty OJ Spritzer, mineral water, medicinal teas such as Gypsy Cold Care)
  • Keep the person warm (stay in bed, with socks and covers on)
  • No tv/screen time (your brain needs this capacity for healing), books ok
  • Homeopathics as symptoms warrant (for example: for vomiting take Nux Vomica 30c, for body aches Arnica Montana 30c)
  • If the person can eat, clear brothy soups such as chicken soup
  • Grave Robbers/Thieves Oil (clove-based essential oil blend) on the bottoms of the feet, and then socks over them
  • Enlist the power of prayer.  Visualize yourself on a healing table with the violet light of healing surrounding you.  Call in healing angels.

No Fever, but the illness progresses:

  • Continue to support your immune system by doing everything in “The First Signs of Illness”
  • Whatever you do, don’t go around saying, “I’m sick” or “I have a cold.”  If asked how you are doing simply state with all integrity, “I’m feeling a little under the weather, but I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”

If the person must get some sleep and symptoms are keeping them awake:

  • Chestal Homeopathic for coughing
  • Tepid or very hot bath to reduce fever enough to allow sleep (Add 1 cup sea salt and 1 cup baking soda plus a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, such as lavender, to make it detoxifying and relaxing.)

If you are new to homeopathic remedies I suggest the book Homeopathic Self Care:  The Quick and Easy Guide for the Whole Family by Robert Ullman, ND and Judyth Reichenburg-Ullman, ND.  Symptoms and illnesses are listed alphabetically, so one can quickly look up their issue and then specific remedies are recommended.  Although homeopathic remedies do not induce sleepiness, sometimes that is a result of using them, due to your body’s healing response.  Do not ingest anything within 10 minutes of taking homeopathic remedies, especially coffee or use anything with mint, menthol or eucalyptus.

It is a good idea to stock up on supplies of broth and soup before winter.  I make about a gallon of chicken soup and freeze in 1 quart and 1 pint containers.  I make chicken broth on an ongoing basis.

It is my sincere hope that this list of recommendations and resources serves you and your family during this cold and flu season.

Yours in joyful health,

Leah

Two Fibromyalgia Articles Just Published

Whole Living Journal  Two Fibromyalgia Articles Just Published Screen Shot 2015 01 16 at 7It is an honor to contribute to publications about health and nutrition. One recent article was released in the January/February 2015 Issue of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based magazine Whole Living Journal. It is a very personal essay, my story. To read it, view the January/February 2015 Whole Living Journal online  and find the article on page 19.

Kelly The Kitchen Kop  Two Fibromyalgia Articles Just Published Screen Shot 2015 01 16 at 7

The second article was out January 13, 2015 on the fantastic natural food blog of Kelly the Kitchen Kop.  I met Kelly in November at The Weston A. Price International Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.  We hit it off immediately!  This article is Fibromyalgia Symptoms Causes and Total HEALING: Recovery IS Possible! The discussion here is already amazing!  Feel free to join in.

I am busy working on getting the message out that fibromyalgia recovery is possible.  I’ll keep you posted about any more articles as they come out.  If you have a question you would like for me to address or an idea for an article, contact me or connect on Facebook or Twitter!

 

 

Yours in Joyful Health

Lea

Season’s Greetings or Season of Pain?

Happy Holidays from The McCullough Familty  Season's Greetings or Season of Pain? McCullough Family

Happy Holidays from The McCullough Familty

Happy Holidays?

Are you looking forward to the holidays or are you already so miserable that the thought of doing more sends you into a panic? For people with chronic illnesses this is one of the most painful times of the year. What I call “The Season of Pain” tends to start around Halloween and end sometime before St. Patrick’s Day. That is a big chunk of your year to feel bad! Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, and other illnesses seem to have exacerbated symptoms this time of year. There are several reasons for this, but I think it is not a coincidence that the exacerbation coincides with these Triggers:

  • Less sunlight – SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
  • Greater consumption of sugar (that’s why it starts with Halloween!)
  • Disruptions in routines/travel
  • Being around more people – toxic family relationships
  • Stress
  • Weird foods (or just weird-to-you)
  • Cold and flu season
  • Colder weather

What to do to help?

            Some people think that The Season of Pain is inevitable, but I know that one can have vibrant health all year long. Here are some strategies to keep you healthy during this trying time:

  1. Stress is an attitude. Cut down activities to only the necessary ones and deeply enjoy those.
  2. Take a detox bath (soak in a hot bath of 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup of sea salt).
  3. Drink extra Raise the Dead Chicken Broth
  4. Cut out sugar and fake foods. (If you must have something sweet, see my recipe in this newsletter for Cold Whipped Hot Chocolate.)
  5. Take extra of the following supplements:
    1. For depression and cold-fighting (Vitamins A, D and K₂): fermented cod liver oil/high vitamin butter oil capsules
    2. Therapeutic grade probiotic such as FermPlus Pro
    3. If you feel a cold starting, to support the immune system take an extract of the Agarigus Blazei mushroom
  6. Investigate homeopathics for yourself. These are remedies you take at the first sign of symptoms and they do not interact with any medications. The following are my go-to remedies for myself and my family this time of year:
    1. If you feel a cold coming on – Cold Calm
    2. If you feel the flu coming on – Oscillococcinum
    3. If you feel nervous or anxious – Calms
  7. Meridian tapping for dealing with toxic people and situations (described in detail in my book Freedom from Fibromyalgia: 7 Steps to Complete Recovery)

Be sure to tune in to our free monthly Hope Army Webinar on Monday, Dec. 22th at 7 pm EST. My guest, Victoria Smith, Holistic Therapist, will be discussing more strategies to deal with the Season of Pain so that this year you can look forward to holidays!