I never use commercial detergents or stain removers because I try to only use natural, safe products, and for the most part I’ve found my “natural” products quite satisfactory but there once was a time when I caved in and bought an Oxiclean gel stick. I was desperate. You see, I was 9 months pregnant and I was “nesting”, washing all of the little outfits and blankies my new little girl would be wearing when she was born. Of course, I was using an amazing brand of pure and natural detergent and all was well until… I began to take the newly washed and dried clothes from the dryer. At first, I thought it was an isolated occurrence but the more clothes I pulled out the more horrified I became. Somehow a crayon or play-dough ball(or some other green thing that leaves stains and residue) managed to make its way into the dryer, melt and leave awful bright green streaks on all of my precious baby girls beautiful little outfits and blankets. I have a suspicion that my 2 1/2 year old son had something to do with it. Whatever the case may be, it left an extremely hormonal, soon-to-be mommy(for the second time) feeling incredibly defeated.
So I took out all the clothes and one by one tried to spot treat them with my natural detergent and put them through the wash again. No luck. The stains were still there. That is when I did the unthinkable, I purchased the Oxiclean gel stick and I was gonna use it. As far as I knew the clothes were ruined, so why not give it one last-ditch effort. I put the gel meticulously onto each item and ran the wash again. Slowly and with a labored breath, I examined the articles. The stains were gone. I was truly astonished. Except for maybe two or three items with very small traces of green residue, her little clothes were saved. I almost called the company to thank them. It was pure mommy jubilation.
So what’s the point
The point of this little story is that – I really didn’t have a lot of faith that the product would work. Why? because most of my experiences with any given product are mediocre at best. I went into the scenario desperate and I fully expected to be let down because up to that point most claims made by most companies about their products turned out to be either false or greatly exaggerated in my experience. So this was quite a revelation for me. Now this post is not really about a great stain remover but more about what we come to expect from the claims about products, services, or even health advice. After a certain amount of let downs it becomes very difficult to believe that the “next” thing is going to be any better. So then the difficult and often expensive part is weeding out what works and what doesn’t. Now in the case of stain removal usually the stakes aren’t too high but when it comes to health and well-being the stakes can be substantial.
The search continues
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have tried quite a few special “health” diets and healthy products. I don’t like to give up so I am trying again. This time around I am working with nutritional coaches (they cost about $1200 dollars for 8 hours of consulting) who are follower’s of Ray Peat’s work. You can read more information on him here: http://raypeat.com/articles/. When I went in to consult with my health coach she mentioned a few things that seemed a big part of the health plan. She wanted me to start checking my pulse and temperature in the morning right as I woke up, after each meal, and before bed. According to my coach thyroid health is of great importance in healing, and measuring body temperature and pulse rate are indicators of its functioning. However, according to the measurements that I have been taking, my heart rate doesn’t seem too low, and my temperature isn’t either (low pulse and temp are signals of hypothyroidism). The protocol that my health coach is using is designed to
English: Pulse evaluation Deutsch: Pulstastung (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
help stimulate my thyroid to perform optimally and raise my pulse and body temp, but if they are both already in the normal range, is the protocol still going to be helpful? I realize that the underlying reasoning behind the protocol is probably more complex than just raising my pulse and temperature but at this point I am not sure how it is still beneficial. I want to be convinced.
“Most” people actually suffer from low stomach acid
This is one of the most common comments I hear “Most people actually suffer from low stomach acidity”, and each time someone makes this comment, they say it as if it is a completely novel concept to my ears. To the contrary this concept seems to be standard in the natural health community. I suffer from acid reflux, so this is an important matter to me. My new natural health coach mentioned this same low stomach acid concept to me. The problem is that I am not convinced. It’s not that I disagree with the low stomach acid problem for most people, but I am not “most people”.
In many cases low stomach acidity is very likely the culprit. For example, as we age our stomach stops producing as much acid. Also, many people who have acid reflux have an H. Pylori infection which goes on unabated because of low stomach acid. In addition, for many people the reflux issue is actually caused by a hiatal hernia, which can also be the result of H. Pylori or by excessive weight. This all goes very well with the low stomach acid theory, but lets take a look at my situation. I started getting severe acid reflux when I was 24. Sooo… the age thing really doesn’t come into play here. Secondly, I have been tested more than once for the presence of H. Pylori and the results were negative. I also do not have a hiatal hernia. Moreover, I am not overweight, but rather underweight. Once again, as far as I can tell, I am not someone who can be lumped into the “most people” category. Furthermore, some studies suggest that in those with reflux, H. Pylori and hiatal hernia aren’t factors to be blamed for the severity of esophagitis, (Awad RA, Comacho S., Helicobacter Pylori Infection and Hiatal Hernia do not Affect Acid Reflux and Esophageal Motility in Patients with Gastro-esophageal Reflux. J Gastroenterol. 2002;37(4):247-54). Most people may have low stomach acid, but how do I know if I am “most people”? What if I do have too much acid? I’m just sayin’….
One size fits most
English: jeans for men 中文: 男用牛仔裤 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My thyroid could very well be the culprit behind my pressing health concerns and low stomach acidity may indeed be the cause of my acid reflux, but why should I buy into this just because it is the case for most people. Very little about me is like “most people”. If at this point my pulse and temps are normal and I have no solid evidence that my stomach acid is low other than that it is too low in a lot of other people, than it seems reasonable that I should doubt. I want to believe that this new protocol is going to be helpful and worthwhile, but I still need some convincing. I want to have another Oxiclean moment. A moment where I go “wow, this really works like it says it will”. I hope I find it.
What are your thoughts? Do you have some convincing evidence? Or have you tried something while thinking it was going to be miraculous and it left you underwhelmed? Have you had that “aha” moment when something really worked for you?
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