The Placebo Effect & Veganism

Wow I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in so long! With warm weather upon us we have been at the lake/pool/amusement park constantly. I deleted my Facebook a little over a month ago and let me tell you, IT'S WONDERFUL! I have not been happier in over a year. I didn't have a Facebook when this journey began but made one to join the tooth decay groups and Natural Healing Co op. (A wonderful Instagram friend told me about it, thanks Jade!) Anyway, without the health groups always plaguing my existence and tracking my every meal, I have really been able to focus on the task at hand and the truth behind what we're dealing with. I was tired of feeling angry, empty, stressed, miserable and all around numb. Dreading every meal because it was a constant battle. "Please eat this egg. Please drink more milk! No we can't have a banana." Tears from both sides were shed constantly and we both just weren't happy.

So at 29 months, 1 week and 1 day Coraline weaned. I am so grateful our nursing relationship was mutual and she weaned when she felt comfortable. It was a wonderful process with no crying, no tantrums, just easy and peaceful. So having my body and boobs solely my responsibility now, I decided to change to a lifestyle that I had been desiring for a very very long time. I have many vegan friends and they can be quite pushy. Never rude to me, but always posting so many things that really had made me question milk, meat, eggs and cheese. Every time I found myself questioning these things all I had to do was take a quick glance in the tooth decay group to seek validation that the Weston Price way was the ONLY way to live. The truth is, whatever you believe, you can find evidence to back it up. If you want to believe in eating animals and drinking cow breast milk, look no further than Weston Price's studies. If you want to believe in eating a vegan lifestyle, watch Forks Over Knives or read The China Study. Weston Price has been proven wrong by "professionals", so has The China Study. So has every opinion. Everyone is going to believe something different because there will ALWAYS be evidence to back up your beliefs somewhere out there.

Coraline drank a lot of milk while weaning but after she had weaned, she didn't want it anymore at all. I always offered, but she just didn't want it. So every week I kept texting the farmer, " only half a gallon this week," or, "none this week." So finally I just cancelled our herd share. She does not want or ask for milk anymore at all. I do make her chocolate milk with cashew or coconut milk and cacao sometimes. Other than that, it's water or lemon water only. And guess what? Her stools went from yellow and grainy to completely normal overnight. She is sleeping TEN HOURS STRAIGHT! I am also letting her eat as much fruit as she wants. Apricots, bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries! You name it, she's eating it. It has been about 3 weeks and we are both so much happier. Eating is so joyful for us again. I have so much energy, jogging around the block twice a day, exercising every night, running around outside with her every day. The stress of such a strict diet on such a young girl was too much for us. Her teeth continued to decay, albeit slowly, despite my hopes and prayers. The placebo effect is so real and so strong. Every single time a new product came in the mail I would get this euphoria, almost like a drug. For weeks I would swear it was curing everything. The zinc was taking her red face rash away, the biodent was making them grow back, the Candistat was killing her candida. All of this was placebo for me. It was a huge hope that I kept insisting was happening because I wanted it SO badly. I have not seen any difference with any of them. I haven't given her any Living Streams products in months. I haven't forced her to take candistat in months. I haven't given her zinc in two weeks. Her rash still comes up after strawberries & tomatoes. Guess what? I just recently found out my husband had the same issue as a child! This is what these health groups do to people like me. I'm so naive and so gullible! Sometimes it is as easy as 'strawberries break her face out' and not "this mutation in her body causes the histamine to react with the saliva which is a sign of zinc deficiency" blah blah blah. Talk about making yourself crazy? Yes...I was going nuts. I am so much happier where we are now. My baby's smile is perfection to us and our family. She is growing, so intelligent, so happy and so healthy. Do you know she has never had a real fever? Or ear infection? Actually she's had a raspy cough maybe once or twice. I am so lucky to have such a healthy and happy child. Sometimes it's OKAY to accept things as they are and dwell solely on the POSITIVE aspects of this life. I am thrilled to be vegan finally. I have wanted this for so long. Coraline is eating predominately plant based too, but when my husband is eating meat she will steal a bite or two. We are still gluten free. One wonderful thing is that now that she can have pretty much whatever she wants (fruits mostly), she is much more easily swayed into eating vegetables. She has been eating celery, carrots, squash, spinach and beans. So many beans! She loves them!

So that's the update on our journey. I know a few people do follow my blog or find it through pinterest/google and I wanted to make sure you know where we are. I am so sorry for every one dealing with this pain. It is heartbreaking. Stay encouraged! Find the positives! LEAVE THE HEALTH GROUPS! Hell, leave Facebook :) Tooth decay is rampant in society today. In the south, 80-100% of our water is fluoridated. Dioxins are in our clothes, feminine products, diapers, perfumes, detergent and more! Please read this book to find out more about dioxins and decay. It is not our fault, it's only going to get worse in this country and we are doing all we can and more. Don't be stressed out, don't be so strict, give them a banana if they want one. They are only this little for a short while.