What Do You Know About Lupus Disease?

Last weekend, I went to a locally owned furniture company here in Idaho Falls with my Mom.  She has been talking about getting a Tempur-Pedic mattress for YEARS now.  She talked about it so often that I literally just assumed it was a far-off dream of hers.  But, finally, her dream came true.  However, through her mattress experience, I learned a little something on my own.  As it turned out, the salesman (I'll call him 'Santa' from now on for privacy/hilarity purposes...and because, well, he looked like Santa Claus) was extremely talkative and eager to help us.  He went on and on about how the mattress was beneficial in so many ways.  Specifically, he talked about arthritis and how it would really help my Mom with that.  Then, as he continued to extensively elaborate about this dream-mattress, he got a little teary-eyed.  My first thought was, "Hm..nice sale tactic," but I immediately felt bad for thinking that because he talked about how the mattress really helped his daughter, who has an immunodeficiency disease called lupus.

I had heard of lupus before, but I really didn't know anything about it.  After coming home that night, I decided to do a little research on my own about it (because I'm a weird nerd like that).  Anyways, I found out that lupus mostly affects women and that, because it's an autoimmune disease, it weakens the immune system and makes our antibodies allow anything and everything to attack the body. It mostly affects women between the ages of 15-35 and is often hard to diagnose just because it can look like a lot of other diseases.  It can be caused by a combination of genetic and/or environmental factors, but it is not a contagious disease.

Lupus can be mild or severe, and there are a few different types.  There is discoid lupus, which can cause sensitive and painful lesions and rashes on facial skin and skin on the upper torso.  Another kind of lupus is called systemic lupus erythematosus (holy mouthful!).  This form can affect all organs and/or organ systems in the body, which makes it a more severe type of lupus.  There is also drug-induced lupus, which is just like it sounds: drug induced/caused by a medication-related reaction.  The good thing about this type of lupus is that it usually goes away after the medication stops. 

Santa's daughter had the most severe type of lupus...the one that's really hard to say (systemic lupus erythematosus).  I think the biggest eye-opener that I discovered about it was that there is no cure for it.  Nope.  None.  And that's because the gene that causes it has not been pin-pointed yet. But it is treatable with immunosuppressants.  Recently, I found out that the environmentally-friendly online shopping network that I use makes some supplements that can help with it as well.  A fellow employee of mine has a Mom who has lupus, and she has informed me that the multi-vitamins, along with the joint supplement, have really helped to improve her way of life.

After learning about this, I decided that I really needed to do what I could to offer some help to Santa and his daughter.  I get tired of hearing about problems that I can't do anything about.  So, I went back to the furniture store today and, just in case he was too busy helping other customers, I wrote Santa a nice letter and included my business card along with a sample of the network's joint supplement and one of their yummy chocolate/caramel exercise bars (which taste pretty much like you're eating a candy bar!).  I really felt like I was leaving milk and cookies for Santa! Hahaha...luckily, he was not busy with customers and was really excited to see me.  He even remembered my name!  So, after saying that it was really sweet of me to introduce my company to him, we chit-chatted a bit and decided to set up a time for me to introduce the company's other products.

Today, I discovered what I really like about the online shopping network: I just enjoy helping other people!  And I really love it when they are excited to receive my help as well!  Santa was a great motivator for me.  He sparked my interest in lupus to the point where I wanted to learn all about it.  And, after learning about something like that, I felt even better knowing that I could actually DO something to help him.  I will definitely be looking forward to helping more people like him and/or his daughter in the future. 

Lupus research references that I used in this post:

http://www.aarda.org/patient_information.php?gclid=CP30j8P89rACFUpeTAodt0NU-A

http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_learnunderstanding.aspx?articleid=2232&zoneid=523

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupus

For those of you following, or for those of you who are new to my blog, if you ever become interested in learning more about the online shopping concept that I use and how their products can help you and/or your family, please email me at queenogreenhealth@gmail.com

Who Doesn't Like CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE?!

Alright, so for a little variety, I wanted to post this AMAZINGLY PHENOMENAL super-moist chocolate cake recipe :).  Believe it or not, the high school kid that I tutor made this for me at my second tutoring session with him and I begged him for the recipe.  If you like chocolate, you will LOVE this cake:

Chocolate Mousse Cake

11 oz best bittersweet chocolate

2 oz best milk chocolate

¾ cup unsalted butter

8 large eggs, separated

Scant ½ cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (plus large pour of vanilla powder)

Pinch of salt

9” springform pan

Large roasting pan

Heavy duty aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and put kettle on to boil.

Line the inside of springform pan with foil, making sure you press the foil well into the sides and bottom of the pan so that it forms a smooth surface. This will prevent water from getting into the cake when it is cooked in its water bath.

Melt the chocolate and butter in microwave and let it cool. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugars until very thick and pale, as creamy as mayonnaise: the mixture should form and fall in ribbons when you lift up the whisk. Stir in vanilla and salt, and then the cooled chocolate mixture. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then lighten the chocolate mixture with a briskly beaten –in dollop of whites before GENTLY folding the rest of them into it.

Pour the cake batter into the foil lined springform, which you have placed in a large roasting pan. Add hot water from the recently boiled kettle to come about 1 inch up the sides of the cake pan and carefully put the roasting pan with its cargo in the oven.

Cook 50 min to 1 hour. The inside of the cake will be damp and mousse-like, but the top should look cooked and dry. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before releasing it from the pan. This calls for a little bit of patience, because you will need to peel the foil gently away from the sides. Just go slowly and remember that this is a very damp cake, and you won’t be able to pry it away from its foil-lined base—though it’s easy enough to tear off the excess foil once you set the cake on its plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if you want and serve with crème fraiche and maybe some raspberries.

More Awesomeness about Shopping from an Environmentally-Friendly Viewpoint

Ok, so I said that I would include a separate blog about some of the other environmentally-friendly products that I have tried out.  Again, I'm just going to give a general name about the product and then my personal and honest experience with it (good OR bad).  If, at any time, you think that you and/or your family could benefit from one or more of these products, please contact me personally at queenogreenhealth@gmail.com !  Let the synopsis begin!

Okay, so this is a list of some of the environmentally-friendly cleaning products that I have tried out from the private, online shopping network that I like to use.  I used to work in a laboratory at the University of Idaho, and whenever I cleaned the lab, I used a concentrate of a specific cleaning chemical that I mixed with water.  It never occured to me that I could do the same thing at home too!  And I didn't realize how much money I have been wasting on other products like Windex, Tilex, Lysol, etc.  These products come already mixed for you, but what they don't tell you is that a lot of what you're paying for is advertising and water.  Yes, water.  By being able to mix the products yourself, you can save quite a bit of money!  Plus, a lot of these cleaning products are made with citric acid instead of ammonia, so they are better for your house too!  And, NO BLEACH!  I think that's my favorite part...I've always hated the smell of bleach and have felt like I was going to die whenever I used it before...slight exaggeration, but hey, this way I never have to even think about using it again!

• LIIQUID HAND SOAP: A little bit goes a long way.  My hands feel pretty soft after using it and I really like the way it smells.  I haven't personally found anything stupendous about it though when I think about comparing it to other hand soaps I've used.  My Mom has one that she bought around Christmas time in our house right now from Pier One Imports that smells like spices, but it isn't as thick as the environmentally-friendly soap, and it seems like I always have to use quite a bit of it to get the same effect.  That's just one comparison though...however, like I said, I've used others that seem to be just as good as the environmentally-friendly stuff.
• DISH SOAP:  Again, a little goes a long way!  My Mom actually tried this one out before I did (probably because I don't like doing dishes much haha) and she said that it took grease off more easily than what she was previously using (Dawn).  And when I did get around to trying it out, I did really like it as well.  It has a light lemon scent and will probably last a lot longer than the previous brand we were using.
• LAUNDRY DETERGENT AND FABRIC SOFTENER: I think this may be one of the best-selling items that my environmentally-friendly shopping network has to offer.  It smells PHENOMENAL!  I really have no other way to describe it.  I normally buy the cheap stuff like Sun or Wisk.  My sister can't use those brands on her skin because they give her a rash.  I like Tide okay, but it is always so expensive!  Plus, I recently read some articles about some bad chemicals that Tide has in it (I will have to do a separate blog about that on another day).  So, with this product, not only do my clothes smell amazing, but I know that they are being washed by something safe for me and my family!  Also, I think my FAVORITE thing about the detergent is that, again, a little bit goes a long way.  Same goes with the fabric softener.  One TBSP of detergent and one TBSP of softener per load.  That's it!  My friend Kat told me that her first container of detergent lasted four months!  That sounds pretty awesome to me.
• SPOT CLEANER:  This is a cool product because, like I mentioned, it is one that is made from a concentrate that you mix yourself.  Three capfuls mixed with water makes the most dilute solution per Windex-sized spray bottle.  I actually used this on my Mom's carpet in the basement (where there were a bunch of dark stains from God only knows what) and, even in its most dilute form, the stains came out right away!  Next time I find a stain, I'll have to take a before and after pic to prove it, but it really worked quite nicely.  It is also safe to use on your clothes and for pet stains.
• CLEAN-UP WIPES:  These are comparable to Clorox wipes, but without the bleach.  They kind of smell like Windex and are safe to use on granite or marble countertops.  Some of the other cleaners, however, cannot be used on granite or marble countertops.  But that is just because of the porous quality of the stone.  The same goes for other grocery store cleaners except for Windex.  The difference between Windex and these wipes is that they don't contain ammonia, and, of course, they are better for the environment.
• BAR SOAP:  I think I mentioned this one in my previous blog post, but it really has been great.  I normally use body wash and a loufa because I have felt like bar soap makes my body have a weird, rough feeling afterwards.  Some brands I've tried before include Caress, Dove and Ivory soap.  I like Caress the best, but I usually only used it to wash my face before.  The environmentally-friendly bar soap has extra shea butter in it, so when you use it, it makes your skin feel REALLY SOFT!  I actually like it to the point that I would prefer to use it over body wash.  My Mom and sister have tried it too and the Ivory soap that my Mom normally uses has been left in the dust haha.
• BODY WASH:  I didn't like the body wash, I'm not going to lie.  I don't mind using it, and I haven't looked into the chemicals that it is made from when compared to other body washes, but I just really don't feel that it is fantastic.  I normally use Caress body wash, and I like that a lot better.  This body wash didn't follow the norm of "a little goes a long way," so I was kind of disappointed by that, because if it did, it would probably change my mind.  So I don't think that I will buy it again personally, but there are other people who say they love it.  So maybe it's just a personal preference.  A coworker of mine says that she likes to use it instead of shaving cream and that she doesn't have to use very much of it for that purpose, so maybe it is better to use the body wash for that instead.
• HAND SANITIZER: This works just like any other hand sanitizer I have used.  It's scentless, which is nice.  I need to compare it to regular hand sanitizer though to find out if it has fewer chemicals in it...look for an update on this and other comparisons in the future!

Ok, I think that covers all of the cleaning products I've used.  So now I'm going to describe a few of the weight loss and dietary items that my environmentally-friendly shopping network makes:

• INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS:  I love instant oatmeal!  Especially the strawberry flavor that Quaker brand makes!  In fact, when I had bad morning sickness during my pregnancy, sometimes that was all I could eat (my old roommate would laugh at me because I would eat insant strawberry oatmeal and scrambled eggs for dinner a lot).  But, I have to admit, even though I liked the flavor of instant oatmeal, it never really looked like oatmeal.  You know, with oats.  It always just looks like squishy mush.  And it is usually pretty sugary.  My environmentally-friendly oatmeal does look like real oatmeal though!  And it tastes just as good!  Actually, I thought it didn't taste as sweet as the Quaker brand because it probably has less sugar in it...I will have to look into that more to double check.  Also, I get full off of one packet whereas with the Quaker brand, I would usually have to eat two packets in order to get full.
• WORKOUT BARS:  These bars have been compared to a PowerBar (but better!) and are meant to be eaten on an empty stomach right before a workout.  They burn body fat faster and increase endurance.  They also have natural CLA in them, which helps people to lose weight and keep it off.  I have to say, the flavor I tried tasted soooo friggin good!  I can't remember what the flavor was called, but it was chocolate with caramel.  It was literally like I was eating a candy bar.  I feel like you just have to try them to see what I mean, because I could eat one no matter what time of day it was.  But, I am pregnant, so I may be a little biased.  I haven't been able to see whether or not they help with weight loss personally because of that, but I plan on trying them out when I get into a good exercise routine after the baby is born.
• SPORT DRINK MIX:  This is supposed to be like Gatorade, but it has fewer calories and more electrolytes!  The orange flavor is REALLY good...I could drink it all day every day I think.  Also, in one normal-sized glass, 1/2 of one packet does the trick.  So they last a long time.  But I usually have to use a full packet for a large waterbottle.
• FIBER SUPPLEMENT:  This stuff really works, but it is nasty tasting!  It is comparable to Metamucil, which I've heard isn't very good tasting either.  You can add it to a smoothie in the morning for a daily fiber boost though, which is good.  It tastes really good mixed with juice, though.  The difference between this supplement and other fiber supplements is that is has non-dissolvable fiber in it (which is what helps it to run through our systems more effectively because our bodies can't digest it).

Finally, I'm going to cover some hygene products and one facial product:

• AGE-DEFYING SERUM: Because I'm only 24..soon to be 25, I don't have many wrinkles yet, so I feel like I'm a bad candidate to be considered when looking at this product.  But I do like it so far!  I do have a few wrinkles on my forehead (which I eaglerly try to cover up with my bangs), so I mostly use it for that.  It has antioxidants from goji berries along with vitamins C and E.  It smells like oranges!  And it feels fresh and light on the skin.  I'm going to have to wait and see if it has any long-term effects.
• LOTION: I really like the environmentally-friendly lotion!  I normally use Curel, which I still like, but I have been going swimming a lot lately, and I noticed that my skin was still feeling dry when using Curel afterwards.  So I tried their lotion out and it did the trick!  It is also supposed to work really well for people who have psoriasis and eczema.
• TOOTHPASTE:  My whole family uses the toothpaste.  I usually flip-flopped between different brands before, depending on pricing and whitening, but the environmentally-friendly toothpaste works really well!  It makes my mouth feel nice and clean afterwards.  I do like it better than Aquafresh for sure, but there are still some other brands out there that compete with it (flavorwise...not sure, again, chemicalwise...I will have to double check about that).  But a word to the wise: the mint flavor is GREAT, but I have heard that the cinnamon flavor is not!  I haven't tried it personally, so I'm not sure.  But that's what I've heard.
• SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER:  These are fantastic!  They are compared to Biolage and Paul Mitchell, but they are much less expensive!  And there are no sulfates in them!  Whenever I use them, I feel like my hair has the quality of the salon products, but without the extra price or chemicals.  My old roommate was a hair stylist, and she always tried to get me to buy Redken.  I would end up buying this tiny bottle that would be gone in less than a month.  These products do follow the "little bit goes a long way" trend and I know that they will last much longer.
• MUSCLEACHE CREAM:  This product is kind of like Icy Hot or Bengay.  I  actually did look into the differences between the Queens of Green product and the others, and I noticed it has much, much less menthol in it (that's one of the active ingredients in Icy Hot and Bengay, and also one of the more smelly ones).  During my pregnancy, I have had Restless Leg Syndrome off and on, and this stuff really works for that.  And, again, a little goes a long way.  I will probably have my little tube of it for quite a while.

Well, that covers all of the products that I have tried out so far.  There are over 400 products that the company has made in total over the past 25 years though, so I still have quite a few to go!  Next month, I'm going to try out their foundation for sure, but I haven't decided on what else yet.  I will keep everyone updated though.  Thanks for following me, and again, if you are interested in learning more about these products, I do online presentations about them and the company, and I can (obviously) testify about their effectiveness!  If you would like to be notified about future posts, you can click on the "Subscribe" button at the bottom of the page.  Please contact me at queenogreenhealth@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments :)

Also, I would like to mention my friend Valerie and her blog.  Just click on her name to check it out!  She is also a customer of the environmentally-friendly online shopping concept, and is currently experimenting with do-it-yourself home remedies and products, including natural highlights, make-up remover, and more!

How to Shop from an Environmentally-friendly Point-of-View

Hey everyone! This is my first blog EVER! I am so excited to share my personal health and wellness experiences with you in this way. I have found that trying to explain everything about my experiences via email just takes a ton of time and that I can't make those explanations as peronsalized as I can on here. So I hope that those of you who choose to check out and/or follow me enjoy, learn, and love everything that I have to teach you about living to improve your own overall health, vigor, and well-being.

So this is going to be my first official blog post.  For this post, I'm just going to define what I do with my environmentally-friendly online shopping group, and then I'm going to summarize my experiences with them so far. My posts from here on out will probably include each new experience that I have as they occur, along with any health/wellness articles and some fun recipes to boot! Thanks for following me on my health and wellness journey and for being willing to educate yourself right along with me! Here we go!

So, what exactly is this online shopping concept? What do you think of the first time you hear those words? Well, personally, when I first heard them, my thoughts were somewhere along the lines of "Oh, Jesus....I don't want to hear about some crazy tree-hugging group. I just want to go about my business and I most DEFINITELY don't want to get into some pyramid-scheming MLM (multi-level marketing) company." I was really nervous about having to hear about it and initially shunned the group, thinking that it just wasn't worth my time. After all, I had just found out that I was pregnant. I was getting ready to graduate from college, and I was also trying to figure out where I was going to live with my new baby. Shopping from an environmentally-friendly viewpoint was the last thing on my mind.

My friend Kat, who used to be one of my employees at a previous job, initially approached me about the concept in January 2012. It sounded like a scam to me, so I promptly ignored her. She asked if she could do an online presentation with me and, after being sucked into a Shaklee (a different pro-health group with much more expensive products) presentation days beforehand, I was working hard to avoid her. Finally, after moving back home, she asked if we could just hang out and catch up with one another. I agreed.

Kat came over to my house and we spent about an hour telling each other about what we had been up to over the past five years. I told her about the baby, daddy drama, graduation, moving, how I was desperately looking for a job, and getting used to being back in Idaho Falls. She told me about her degree program and her current job working as a dental receptionist. But then she said, "I like my job, but I'm doing so well with my environmentally-friendly group that I think that I might quit." That caught my attention...as a currently single Mom, I thought, "Man...maybe I should hear what she has to say about this." Kat continued to talk about the group and gave me a short presentation about what she does. She said, "I educate people about how to improve their personal health and wellness, and I also provide a business opportunity for those who are interested in partnering with me." Then, she looked me in the eyes and said, "I know you Hollie. We worked together! You are just as much of a go-getter as I am, and I know that if I can do this, you can do this. I want you to be my business partner."

I pondered about what she had to say for a while. "Partnering" with someone sounded kind of fun, fancy, and professional, and she had informed me thoroughly on how this was not an MLM scam like Scentsy, Avon, or Mary Kay. In fact, Kat explained to me that it is like a family tree and that she, and others in the group, would help me every step of the way. I quickly assessed my current financial situation: I had just gotten done with selling my car, piano, bed, and whatever else I could find to get a quick buck in order to pay off some credit card debt and have enough money for the baby. I had just moved back home with my Mom, sister and niece. I had some money, but not much. And I was applying to jobs like crazy. I had even tried out a political survey job (which I quit after a week because I just couldn't stand manipulating little old people into filling out a politically biased survey). And I thought, "Okay, if I'm desperate enough to go through that, this can't possibly be worse."

Ultimately, I signed up with Kat for $1 that day, and I got to work. I have to say that joining the group has been slow going at first, but that was because of me. I wanted to try out some of the products before I turned around and told people about them. I also wanted to do some research and make sure that they weren't just like all of the other products in the stores that claim to be "organic" or "all-natural." After getting my degree in animal science, I knew that there were a lot of businesses out there that simply stamp their products with an “all-natural” or “organic” label and make a few extra bucks off of unsuspecting customers. I also didn't want to be promoting a company that I didn't have confidence in. So, I nit-picked at every little detail; scruitinized and studied until my eyes hurt; and looked into valid and current research in order to make sure that I wasn't getting sucked into some crazy get-rich-quick scheme.

And, to my surprise, it all made sense. More importantly (for me) it all made SCIENTIFIC sense. I compared and contrasted multiple brands with the environmentally-friendly brand and found that, while all products have their pro's and cons, these products ultimately had more positives than negatives. After that, I decided to try some of them out myself to see if they worked. I remember the first time I grabbed the bar soap that they make (with extra shea butter!) in the shower and it was like "Whoa! This is crazy how soft this is!" It was like my whole body was experiencing an orgasm wherever the soap touched (sorry if that is too much info, but seriously...my sister said the same thing)! After trying out some more of their products, I knew I was sold. I knew that, even if I had decided to just be a customer, and not to do the business side of the company, that I still would have been impressed and would have decided to become a customer for life.

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So, now you know about how I became involved with my environmentally-friendly group. Next, I’m going to talk about my experiences with their products so far. With my first purchase, I bought a candle, some chap stick, a prenatal vitamin pack that included a calcium supplement, and an anti-oxidant supplement.
Using a bullet-point system, I’m going to describe each item and my experience that I had with it (I’m not going to include the actual environmentally-friendly brand name with each item due to advertising no no’s, so if you are interested in any of the items that I list, just contact me personally about it.  My email is listed at the end of this blog post ):

• THE CANDLE: Man, all I have to say is WOW! This candle is supposed to last up to 60 hours. I have burned it for about 10 hours already and it doesn’t even hardly look like I’ve used it. When thinking about the large candles that I would buy at Wal-Mart (which were about twice the size of this one), I know that they may have lasted me 10 hours if I was lucky, let alone six times as long. Plus, the SMELL of the candle is INCREDIBLE! It doesn’t smell too sweet or too strong. It’s a really nice, light scent and it’s made out of high-quality soy.

• THE CHAPSTICK: I will never go back to any other brand of chapstick after this. I think the closest brand that comes to this that you can buy in the store is Nivea or Carmex, but even that doesn’t give the environmentally-friendly stuff justice. And it’s really inexpensive too! For me, it reminds me of the texture of Carmex without the nasty taste or smell. And they have lots of yummy scents to choose from!

• THE VITAMINS: These are the main thing that I have been ranting and raving to friends and family about! I was on just a general gummy prenatal vitamin that I had gotten from the grocery store. I had talked to the doctor about having to take it though, because it was making me constipated. She told me to just take it every other day, which still didn’t help. I found out about these vitamins and discovered that I haven’t had any problems with constipation whatsoever! I have also noticed that I have more energy.  Some other people have even stated that they have saved their lives!  That might sound ridiculous, but it is true!

• THE ANTI-OXIDANT SUPPLEMENT: This is one of the things that, as far as scientific research goes, they still aren’t sure about whether or not anti-oxidant supplements really work. I learned about anti-oxidants in a reproductive biology class that I had last semester though. Anti-oxidants are supposed to decrease the amount of free radicals that are in our systems. Oxidants cause free radicals, and anti-oxidants help to protect against them. Chemically, a free radical occurs when there is an ion or atom that exists with unpaired electrons. Free radicals can be really reactive, which actually speeds up the aging process. In my opinion, fruits and veggies that contain anti-oxidants are good to eat either way, supplement or no supplement. I thought I would try these out just to see if I noticed a difference, but in my opinion, if you eat fruits and veggies that have anti-oxidants in them, there probably isn’t a need to supplement yourself in this way.

These are just a few of the products that I’ve tried so far. There are a few cleaning and hygenic products that I have also tried out, but I think that I will just make one blog that focuses on those since this blog is becoming excessively long!

Does all of this make sense to you? I hope so! None of this information is made up or fake. These are all real-life experiences that I have had, and that I am continuing to have. If you, or anyone in your family, happens to be interested in looking into creating a healthier and happier home environment, please email me, Hollie, at queenogreenhealth@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to educate you and your loved ones.