Tina Rice

Mushrooms

We had watched Paul Stamets’ TED Talk years ago and always encouraged others to seek out medicinal mushrooms when they found out they were facing cancer.

Now it was our turn to check into it.

First thing we did was buy this mushroom hot chocolate. Within a week, my sister sent a care package including the Chai flavor. While these are both delicious (and non-GMO, organic, etc.) I see them now as processed, high-sugar treats in plastic containers.

Know Better, Do Better

Today, I’m getting fresh mushrooms at the farmers market from a nice guy named Botanical Ben. I’m using fresh mushrooms in dinners and salads and dried mushrooms as soup starters.

Chaga

Ok, hippy-dippy name aside, I found this chaga mushroom product at Lori’s Natural Foods and have been adding a spoonful to my coffee every day since. It’s got an amazing flavor (Jimmy says it’s musty, but I love it). Also, it has lots of anti tumor and anti cancer properties. It’s actually made from a fungus that grows on mushrooms.

BTW, a lot of chemotherapy drugs start this way, organic compounds pulled from nature.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38116085/

https://www.lorisnatural.com/

https://www.thisislifeitself.com/blogs/blog/chaga-101

Paul Stamets will Save the World

Let’s hear it from the man himself:

There’s also a long form program available on Netflix called Fantastic Fungi all about this fascinating man and his research. I highly recommend exploring the world of mushrooms for medicinal use and integrating them into your diet.

Filter Your Water

One of the first things we did was filter our tap water in the kitchen. We had one for the refrigerator but had gotten off schedule with filter replacements. This is a great first line defense you can do to remove toxins from your system.

Best Practices

● Filter your water.

● Set up calendar reminders on your phone so you don’t forget to change the filter regularly.

● Buy the replacement filters in a multi-pack so you can change them with no delay.

The Deets

We used the Pur system, which attaches to the faucet and gets in the way 98% of the time.

It had good ratings, and we purchased through Amazon.

The Drawbacks

The filters that attach to the faucet will slow the flow of water, which is a pain when you’re trying to fill a large pot to boil pasta. We are looking at under-mount systems right now, though they have their own drawbacks (under sink leaks, hard to change filter without contortionist moves).

I’ll update as we learn more.

A Postcard from the Universe

Last year, a few days before my birthday, I received a card.

It wasn’t a birthday card.

More of a membership card.

To a club nobody wants to join.

And I couldn’t send it back.

At first, I was scared, then sad, then angry. It was a panic to tell my family and close friends. I cycled and re-cycled thru all the stages of grief.

But, from the very first hour, there were ideas, tips, and strategies shared. Things I could do to improve my health, lessen the burden on my body, and see glimmers of hope.

I’m so grateful for the suggestions and support I’ve received all along from my loved ones. One year later, I do feel healthier and more in control of things.

The purpose of this blog is to share the knowledge I’ve gained and the positive steps I’ve taken in the hope that it can help someone else. Welcome!