Smoothie for Joint Pain

It's October, changing of the seasons, though not much of a season change in South Florida as in the rest of the country (ok it goes from stiffling hot to a nice cool breeze :). I still somehow feel the aches and pains in my joints during the change this month. Is it the fibro? Lingering Lyme Disease? Developing rheumatoid arthritis? (My mother and cousin have) I don't know. I don't think I want to know. But I'd like some relief. All natural relief if possible. So I've been google-ing like heck, and found some good anti-inflammatory foods to beef up on this month. (Here is a list of a few - and good news this month as pumpkins is listed! - http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/best-foods-for-arthritis.aspx)

Pineapple and blueberries and ginger and also some. So I whipped up a super yummy smoothie with those. Give it a try! Can't go wrong (ok, well go easy on the ginger unless you like spicy!)

Here it is as Martha Stewart makes it (can't go wrong there right?!)

http://www.marthastewart.com/343666/pineapple-blueberry-ginger-juice

Also, my Mom bought me this stick blender combo few years back, LOVE it, so glad she did, I use it all the time to whip up smoothies, I highly recommend:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/cuisinart-2-speed-smart-stick-hand-blender

We are the 300,000+ -- Lyme Disease Campaign

There are more than 300,000 new Lyme Disease infections annually, and the CDC and medical community is just now acknowledging this astonishing number, MUCH higher than their previous rates of "30,000 annual cases."

If you are one of the annual 300,000 diagnosed with Lyme Disease stand up and represent. The Lyme community is launching a photo campaign to get more media attention for Lyme Disease. They are asking for your photos.

It's simple and powerful, be a part of it here:

http://lyme300000.wordpress.com/

My All Natural Solution for Seborrheic Dermatitis

One of the conditions that came along with my fibromylagia was this sudden seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp. It was incredibly itchy and scaly on my scalp. The itchiness drove me NUTS!! I finally have stumbled upon an all natural solution (my doctor just wanted to give me a prescription.)

Dead sea salt! I bought a container in the beauty section of Whole Foods, and made sure it was JUST the dead sea salt, no fragrances or ANY other ingredients besides the salt. ($15) For the first few nights I'd get in the shower and run warm water over my scalp, mix some of of the sea salt to dissolve in a cup of warm water (about 8oz size) and then I'd pour the warm sea salt mixture over the back of my scalp (where the dermatitis was the worse). I have long hair, so I rubbed in the salt mixture and piled on my hair. Then I either stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my head for about 10 minutes, or I'd busy myself wit something like shaving my legs :) The main points to take away are the initial warm water opens up the pores in your scalp, then allow the sea salt to set on your scalp for a few minutes to soak in (5-10 min). Then rinse off. I did this for 3-4 nights initially, and then the remainder of the week I switched to the sea salt mixture (water and the sea salt) in a spray bottle - when I came home from work I'd spray the sea salt water mixture on my scalp, rub it in, wrap with a towel for @ 10 minutes, then step in shower and rinse. I was amazed, after the 1st two days I def noticed less itching and a difference! And, after the first week of treatments, no more itching! So now 1-2 times a week I'll use the spray bottle of salt water treatment just to maintain the clarity of the dermatitis.

Of course if you live near the ocean, just go hang out in the ocean on the weekends! Even more fun!

Also good to note, I had bought some lavender oil to help sooth the itchiness, this did help soothe that - temporarily. While it did not treat/cure the dermatitis, it did help get me through until the sea salt kicked in! (It took me a while to find out the sea salt cure, so the lavender oil was def helpful.)

I hope this helps!

Dr. Oz and Fibromylagia

Has anyone else seen these Dr. Oz videos about fibromyalgia? I don't think they are new, maybe from 2012, but they seem to be making their rounds on the net lately:

Here are links to the clips:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fibromyalgia-real-illness-pt-1
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fibromyalgia-real-illness-pt-2

Is it me or did he really explain nothing? He really just touches just too briefly on treatments, especially holistic treatments. And he calls it a disease, its not. Its an illness, a disorder, but not a disease. I felt the brain image thing was very confusing. Did that make sense to anyone else? I think an ENTIRE EPISODE should be focused on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, not just a few minutes, he really addressed nothing, and explained nothing.

I think this, from an article he wrote in 2009 for Opraph's O Magazinge, is a little more informative, but still he could devote a lot more to fibro:

http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-Treatments-for-Fibromyalgia

What does everyone else think of Dr. Oz's coverage of fibromylagia?