Click HERE for the PDF version!
Last year Travis helped me build my first garden! I zip-tied cattle panels to tee-posts to create a walk-in garden. I bent goat panel to make walk-under arches for growing climbing vegetables and roses. I got the amazing idea from Roots and Refuge Farm’s how-to YouTube video. (Shared to the right.)
There were a few childhood movie scenes which really inspired my desire to create my garden. Of course, the mysterious escape of The Secret Garden, can go unsaid! In the movie, Harriet the Spy, Harriet and her friends adventure through Mrs. W’s magical windchime garden. https://youtu.be/GYZ4I6doX-s And a movie I absolutely cherish for its survivalist & creative tree house home, Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson.
Right now, it’s rough & a work in progress, but year by year, I dream of a wonderful magical garden to escape to and gather food for my family. As a child growing up, I always loved being in nature and eating raspberries right off the bush. If you close your eyes and imagine a place where you feel joy and at peace, where is this place? I was asked this once by a feng shui expert and the place I imagined was my tree house when I was a kid. When I opened my eyes, the teacher said, let me guess, it was somewhere in nature? It was! That’s when I learned that the purpose of feng shui, is actually bringing that peaceful nature into the home with plants, fountains, etc. But one great way to get a feng shui fix is to also create living spaces outdoors, like a fire pit in the backyard or a garden escape. It’s hard work, but it’s so rewarding. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, having a hideout, tree house in the backyard can be a really great way to relax, search for four leaf clovers and detach from the business of life & technology, not to mention all the drama and chaos going on lately (you know what I’m talking about).
Did you know?You can get FREE mulch!? Last year I had an entire truck load dumped in our driveway. All you gotta do is call your local tree trimming companies & see which one is available to make a delivered right to you, for free. Besides being free, it suppresses weeds, nourishes plants, saves water, and provides habitat and food for beneficial soil organisms. |
This month I started on some thyroid medication!
So, my laboratory levels were within range, but I was on the low end. Since beginning Armour thyroid (T3/T4 combo), I’m no longer so cold at work and at home, my extremities are no longer freezing, I no longer lose the hair I would in the shower (I thought it was normal), my lips aren’t so chapped, I’m more regular, I don’t have so much fatigue or sensitivity to light, it’s easier to feel joy, and i find myself being able to do more things, like cooking and getting out in that garden!
The reason I’m excited to share this is because I would have NEVER thought I was on the hypo-thyroid end, because I’ve always been “high energy,” but since also learning that having optimal thyroid levels is also very important for development of a baby, I decided it would be good to try it, and I’m loving it & surprised with all the things it helps with! There are also other benefits, like preventing heart disease (#1 killer), type 2 diabetes, lowering cholesterol… etc.
Some symptoms of low thyroid:
slowed metabolism, constipation, weight gain, brain fog, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sensitivity to cold, low basal body temperatures, achy joints/muscles, dry skin/lips/hair, hair falling out, thinning outer eyebrows, brittle nails, puffy face, under eye circles, swelling, frequently getting sick, menstrual problems, reproductive problems… & many, many others.
Low thyroid function is actually very common in young adults & adults (especially women), so I want to explain something that I hope might help you if you are looking to check your thyroid with your doctor.
The thyroid gland produces mostly T4 that we need convert to T3 (the active thyroid hormone) for our cells to use (this conversion is done in the liver). But a healthy thyroid also produces a little bit of straight T3 (active hormone) for your body to use without needing to convert.
Unfortunately, did you know that most endocrinologists and PCPs do not consider this and will only prescribe the inactive thyroid (T4)? This forces patients to live on conversion alone, and many patients with low or no thyroid, they just don’t do as well. Even if your thyroid test ‘TSH’ appear to be normal, someone may still have poor conversion and will continue to have symptoms. Many patients come into our clinic who are only prescribed T4 and are still very fatigued and they do much better when we give them some T3 or a combination thyroid med T4/T3, like armour or nature throid.
The real sad truth is, even if you have low thyroid symptoms, and your labs show your levels are at the very bottom of the range…most doctors will refuse to prescribe, even if the patient functions better at mid, or upper range. I ask, what’s wrong with prescribing thyroid to a symptomatic patient who is at the bottom of the range, so that they can be at mid-range or even upper end of the if that makes them healthy and happy? Keeping patients at the low end, keeps them living a low-end life. All the time i see frustrated patients coming in to see Dr. Wilkinson because he will actually listen to them, do adequate testing, and prescribe so they can live optimal, which is the goal!
To further empower you, I must also inform that most regular physicians do not do adequate testing, so interpretation is not adequate. Your doctor may only check TSH, and maybe T4, but that doesn’t give you the big picture. You should be tested for TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and Reverse R3, (TPO if you suspect autoimmune) and you should get your Ferritin checked too, since you need iron to convert your thyroid. You finally need an experienced doctor to interpret. If you live in Washington, I recommend Dr. Wilkinson, here in Yakima. You can learn more at: http://wilkinsonwellness.com.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
I started a new page at planetmegan.com called “Health News.”
It’s a place where I’ll be sharing helpful healing protocols, recipes, articles on health topics, links to scientific studies, and free resources so that others can be empowered with education about what prevents and helps disease. You can check it out at http://planetmegan.com/healthnews.
You can also read about what helps you resist coronavirus @ planetmegan.com/coronavirus
