Jody's Journey

Several months ago I got an email from a woman named Linda Caputi, through Ozville.org. She told me that her daughter had had success eliminating her seizures by following some remedies set forth by a man named Edgar Cayce. I'd never heard of him, but I'm all for learning new natural healing methods for epilepsy! She told me she'd written a book about her daughter's story, and also included a lot of information on the Edgar Cayce remedies. She sent me a copy and I just now finished it. I admit, I skipped through a lot of the details of the remedies towards the back of the book since I knew I'd never remember them. lol. He recommended such things as caster oil packs, chiropractic care, salt, ice packs, etc... Edgar apparently would go into a trance to find the cause of the epilepsy, and make personalized recommendations to his patients. I'm not a very good book reviewer, but I wanted to mention it for those who are open to alternative possibilities. You won't find a plan laid out for you here, but you might find just what you need. Of course, only do this under supervision, especially if you are already on medication for your seizures.

The book is on Amazon, if you're interested in checking it out: Epilepsy - Jody's Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Healing with the Edgar Cayce Remedies

Everybody Poops

You've heard of that book, right? Yeah, it exists...

So today I just wanted to share that I found some recycled toilet paper at my neighbourhood Ralph's! It's called Small Steps, by Marcal. Made of 100% premium recycled paper, whitened without chlorine bleaching, hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and no dye or fragrance added. It came in a 12 pack, and I'm on my first roll. Have to say, I'm satisfied. It's not soft and fluffy, but it's not like tissue paper either, so that's good. It's nice to see more environmentally friendly products on the shelves! AND the wrapper is recyclable as well.

Curing Epilepsy

I was searching the internet the other day for more news stories on epilepsy, and looking to see if there was anything new about using a raw food diet to cure it, and stumbled across a few blogs and forum posts.

This blog chronicles the life of a little boy named Elijah. The blog is called Overcoming Epilepsy.

My son Elijah has a mild form of cerebral palsy. He was recently diagnosed with epilepsy in the spring of 2007. We've been treating his condition using natural methods. This blog is a documentation of our experiences. Our goal is to help others who may be going through similar health challenges. Together we can overcome whatever challenges come our way so that we may live full, happy, vibrant, and healthy lives.

I'm trying to figure out how to subscribe to it but it seems to involve some kind of Google contraption that I don't feel like dealing with. :-)

We also have this person updating af orum on her raw food diet, at www.coping-with-epilepsy.com. She says:

Hi. I wanted to share that I was having daily complex partial seizures until I went on a raw foods diet. I started the diet after being partially a raw vegan - but once I went all the way raw I haven't had one seizure now for close to seven weeks.

I just ordered the book by Dr. Graham, the 80-10-10 diet because this is close to what I have been doing on my own already.

I feel close to normal, and my energy level is great, and my brain is healing more all the time. I am able to do things and tolerate a lot more stimulation, and starting to feel like I am supposed to. HEALTHY!

So exciting! We also have a nice long thread started by a parent who put her son on the raw food diet, also at www.coping-with-epilepsy.com.

We're currently controlling my son's complex partial seizures with a high-raw diet. He eats mostly fresh, raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Occasionally he will have a homemade salad dressing that may contain one or two non-raw ingredients. He may also have a baked sweet potato or steamed veggies (without spices or condiments) once a week or so. He doesn't complain about eating this way. He's not singled out. Our entire family is eating this way as well and we've seen loads of benefits. I just wanted to start this thread to give a place where those of you with questions can feel free to ask them. I also wanted to share this video that I found this morning. Another girl cured her epilepsy and came off medication by changing over to a raw foods diet.

These are so exciting. I wish I'd have started learning about the raw food diet years and years ago. But I'm so glad it's catching on, and people are becoming aware that what they eat affects their health in major ways. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite though, since I'm not on a totally raw diet yet. I'd guess I'm at about 20%. Working my way up. I just thank God that I don't have any major illnesses that demand a sudden, drastic change in diet. But I do know that if I want it to stay that way, then I better ease my way into it while it's still voluntary!

Green Things

Since I haven't promoted anything cool and green in a long time I thought I'd do that now. About a year and a half ago I bought some cozy slippers in my neighbourhood Pharmaca. I've worn them practically every day and they've recently just started to look like evidence of a large dog. And I don't have a large dog. So I thought it was time to get a new pair. They aren't the cheapest slippers, but they are made from all-natural, renewable materials that are sustainably grown, and are biodegradeable and organic. The pair I purchased is made of hemp and is called D'Orsay (see the picture below, and click on it to see where you can buy them).


I did quite a bit of shopping around to find the best prices and I settled on www.OnlineShoes.com because of their low prices and free shipping. They have a lot of different styles and sizes. I'll definitely be trying out more of their footwear in the future, based on this slipper.... I love them. In fact, I'm wearing them right now. :-)

Epilepsy Freedom Walk 2009

The Epilepsy Freedom Walk was held on October 18 this year, and I was there with my bracelets! 100 bracelets found new homes, and everyone who checked out the info table read about Ozville and Marieke. It was actually an interesting day... my life with Marieke was filled with laughter and songs. Some specific songs stay connected to her in my memory. These would be Thriller, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Feliz Navidad. As I sat at a picnic table engrossed in my book (Autobiography of a Yogi, if you must know), I heard the familiar notes of Michael Jackson's Thriller. I almost wanted to get up and dance, since this year for the first time ever, I participated in Thrill The World (in honor of Marieke! I know she would have loved to join me). I didn't though. :-) Later that day at an audition at CAZT, as I sat waiting, I heard on the radio Bohemian Rhapsody. I commented to Marieke's dad via text message that if I heard Feliz Navidad I'd be thoroughly freaked out (in a good way). That night, I curled up on the couch to continue working my way through the Drew Carey DVD set with my brother. It just so happened... we had come to the Christmas episode. I did not however, hear the song Feliz Navidad... although Drew's neighbour said "Feliz Navidad." And I count it. Thanks, Marieke, for being with me that day. :-)

November 11 was Marieke's 18th birthday, which was celebrated with family and friends. November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and I have been especially aware of it. I'm hoping to find some new opportunities to share the message of water safety, and also the possibility of a cure through a raw food diet. Please contact me with any suggestions!

Sorry if my blog today is a little more mellow than usual - I'm watching Rachel Getting Married and I think it's affecting my mood. :-P

You can tell I'm not a blogger...

...because I never write! I'm sorry to all who actually read this blog. I do enjoy finding new environmentally friendly products and awesome places to eat, but writing about it... can sometimes be a chore! I do like to share what I find, and I will continue to do so... just not as often. ;-)

What can I report today... Back in April I did another Epilepsy Awareness walk, in San Diego, and gave out over 100 Epilepsy Isn't Waterproof bracelets. I picked up an issue of Time (right? It was Time?) that had a special feature on epilepsy. I wish they would have gone into the natural cures, the raw food diet, etc... but they didn't. Our world is completely focused on "finding the cure!" through funding of organizations, so that they can just pour money into the drug industry. I am doubting that they actually want a cure. I was supposed to talk to somebody at the Epilepsy Foundation, in San Diego, but I keep forgetting. I'm hoping she does a bit of her own research on it - everything I know I found online, and have listed in the resources on Ozville. I should try to contact her again though.

Anyway! For those of you into the organic stuff.... I recently purchased a new nightgown from a seller on etsy, and I'd like to share her shop. econica makes "Stylish organic and eco-friendly clothing handmade with love just for you." I'm actually wearing my new nighty right now! I love that her clothing is unique, and stylish, and ORGANIC! So many organic clothing lines are plain old boring, but this is not the case with her.

And for food, I've discovered an awesome place in Silverlake, CA... it's called Cru. It's a raw vegetarian restaraunt and it's SO GOOD! I can't stop dreaming about their raw brownie with ice cream. I highly highly recommend it. I happened to eat there while they were having a weekend "cooking" class going on (not actually DURING my visit...) and went to the last two of the classes and learned some recipes that I've been making ever since. So if you live in the L.A. area, GO!

The bracelets are in!

More epilepsy news! I just got the new shipment of "Epilepsy isn't waterproof" bracelets, so now I have them in small, medium, and large. I'm going to give a little over half away at the next epilepsy walk on April 19th, but I'm setting some aside for website orders. So.... put your order in now before I run out again! lol.

Correction - and it's a good thing!

So someone corrected me! It's a Team Captain meeting on March 28, not the actual event. Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk is actually on April 19, which is great for two reasons! One, I think I will be able to make it. Two, it's close to the day Marieke left us, April 30. I like to plan special Marieke-centered events around this time of year, especially if they can raise awareness to epilepsy-related deaths. So this is good news.

I've had a couple orders for bracelets recently, and a donation towards a new batch, so I went ahead and ordered 100 small, 100 medium, and 100 large, and I'll give away 50 of each at the walk. I'm looking forward to it!