Truth Is Good For Your Health

I'm sure there are numerous scientific reasons that explain why truth, or the lack of it, affects our physical health. Lie detector tests are a well known example of this. Telling a lie causes physical stress to the body that can be easily measured.

Believing lies also causes harm to the body. But knowing and believing truth promotes health and life.  

I think Jesus said it best when He said: 

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. -John 8:32

Truth sets us free; lies keep us in bondage. 

The world we live in is full of lies. We have to search for the truth, whether it's truth about the food we eat, or the chemicals in everyday products, or how to best care for our bodies. 

But there's another category of lies that I think affects our health more than anything - lies about who we are and lies about who God is. Believing these kind of lies not only affects our physical health but our whole being. Knowing and believing the truth about who I am and who God is does indeed set us free! 

I encourage you to watch this video with Beth Moore as she lists some common lies about ourselves and God, and then shares the beautiful truth of God's unfailing love and grace for us through Jesus. 

As long as we live on earth, we will be faced with lies in many different forms. Let's continue to pursue truth in all things and help set others free as well! 

Help For Lyme Disease

It seems like almost every week I hear of another person with serious health problems where lyme disease is either diagnosed or suspected. I also have friends whose lyme disease was not diagnosed or treated for so many years that they are still suffering permanent damage. 

Well, the good news in all this is that I know a doctor who is successfully treating lyme disease naturally - without months of antibiotics, drugs, IV's or other stressful methods. I've mentioned Dr. Smith on this blog several times because he's one of the doctors who helped me so significantly back in 2009. But I recently realized that I haven't shared about his work with lyme disease. 

Here's a testimony from a friend of mine about Dr. Smith:

"Hi Joanna! Several of my friends that have lymes have also used him (Dr. Smith) and have had HUGE success. I'm also waaaay improved so I'd love to recommend him to your friends. He also has a good website called lymestop.com if they want more info about the treatment and about contacting him and stuff." -A.

Dr. Smith's website is very well done. I encourage you to read all through it. You'll find testimonies, a symptom sheet to see if it's likely you have lymes, an explanation of the treatment, Dr. Smith's story of how he developed this method, and more.

http://www.lymestop.com/

I know Dr. Smith personally, and I believe that the treatments he's developed are an amazing gift from God for this time when so many people desperately need them. They truly saved my life. My mom and I still use his CBT method pretty much every week to treat for allergies, viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc. Since I saw him in 2009, he has improved and refined his treatment for lyme. I'm very impressed with all his research and how he's able to treat all the problems - the lyme, any co-infections, parasites, allergies, etc. - at the same time...all without drugs or antibiotics. It's truly amazing!
(His treatment method works by simply activating the body's own immune system and ability to heal. You can read more details on his website.)

The lyme treatment takes one week and the total cost is usually around $1,000. Comparatively speaking that is very reasonable. (Some people spend thousands of dollars on lyme treatments.)

I spoke with Dr. Smith's office two weeks ago and as of then, they were scheduling apptoinments for lyme treatment in October (because it takes a week to complete the treatment, and because so many people are coming to them for it).

If you know someone with lyme, please feel free to pass this information along. I hope and pray that many more people will find help and healing sooner rather than later. 

God bless,

-Joanna

UPDATE: 

As of September 2014, the pricing for Dr. Smith's lyme treatment has changed. It is now a flat fee which covers all necessary treatments for the week you're there (lyme, parasites, viruses, allergies, etc.), as well as a three-month supply of whatever supplements Dr. Smith recommends for you to take following treatment. (This is important because after killing the lyme, there will be a period of detoxing both the dead lyme and the toxins which they put off. Nutritional/supplemental support is important during this process.) The total fee is now $3,000. All things considered, I think it's still quite reasonable and definitely worth the investment.

Fun Photos

Sometimes when I've had a rough couple of weeks (like lately), I like to look at photos of the fun things I've been able to do. These photos are an encouraging reminder that while healing can be a slow, stair-step process, it is still happening, praise God! 

Here are a few fun photos from recent months:

 

          selfie with my sisters at my birthday lunch

shopping at the mall with my niece & sister-in-law

enjoying the beach with my mom

I'm thankful for God's many good gifts. 

What are you thankful for today?

Everyone Needs Hope

The last couple of weeks have been really hard for my mom and I. I'm so grateful for all the prayers on our behalf! The truth that God keeps bringing to my mind is this:

Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. 

-Isaiah 49:23c

When my hope is in circumstances, I'm often disappointed. But when my hope is in my wonderful God, I have confidence and peace. 

I know many of you are going through difficult circumstances. But I know that God has not abandoned you. He is still your hope. I want to share this chapter from my book about Job. I trust it will encourage you and renew your hope in our faithful God. 

Hugs,

-Joanna

                                            Hope

Living with chronic illness is a constant battle against discouragement and despair. For years I kept hoping I’d find some answers, hoping my health would improve, hoping my circumstances would change. Instead, day after day, doctor after doctor, treatment after treatment, I seemed to grow worse. Finally I gave up in resignation. “This is my life. Why bother hoping anymore?” 

Have you experienced a similar hopelessness in your storm? In the midst of Job’s breaking process, he experienced despair and hopelessness. 

If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness…where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? -Job 17:13, 15 

Job had no hope. He was simply waiting for his miserable life to end. Without hope that’s where we are, too. Hope is what motivates us to keep going; it enables us to get out of bed in the morning. Without hope we are just waiting to die. 

When the Bible talks about hope, it doesn’t mean wishing for something to happen. It means having a confident expectation in what we know is true. If we only have “hope” (wishful thinking) in circumstances or people, we will continually be disappointed. But we can always have genuine hope (confidence) in our God.

We can hope in God in the darkness because of what we know is true about Him: 

• God is in control. 

• He is always good. 

• His love surrounds us. 

• He has a plan and purpose for us. 

• He is working out His plan and purpose both now and for eternity. 

 There are many precious truths about God that we can hold onto in the storm. Which ones immediately come to your mind?

Paul wrote about hope in suffering. 

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. -Romans 5:2b-5

As Christians we have been given the hope—confident expectation—of one day sharing God’s glory in heaven. We can always rejoice in that hope! However, we can also rejoice in our sufferings. Why? Because suffering is a tool God uses to work a beautiful transformation in our lives. 

When we submit to the Lord in our sufferings, He teaches us perseverance. As we rely on God’s strength to persevere, He builds the character of Christ in us. And when the character of Christ fills our lives, we live in continual hope.

This process teaches us that nothing else, no one else, is truly dependable. Circumstances come and go, people can fail us, our own strength gives out. But God never changes. In suffering we can discover the rock-solid character of God. And when our hope is in God, we’ll never be disappointed.  

This foundation of hope in God rather than earthly things can also give us hope for our storm. Hope comes from remembering what is true.

*God is all-powerful, with Him all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). We have hope that God can change any situation.

*God is faithful. When the LORD chooses not to change our situation, we know He is developing perseverance in us (Jam.1:2-4). We have hope that the Lord can use our circumstances to change us. 

*God is gracious. As He changes us, others will be affected (Phil. 1:12-14). We have hope that even in the midst of our storm, God will bless others through us.

Whatever trials we experience, we can have hope in our unchanging God. The storm won’t last forever. For some, it may continue until the moment they step into eternity and see Jesus face to face. For others, the end of the storm is not so far away…though a new storm may soon appear on the horizon. Because storms come and go and come again, placing our hope in God is vital. Only He never changes.

In my days of despair, God graciously helped me place my hope solely in Him. Eventually, He also gave me hope for my circumstances. Though I was still sick and miserable, I finally had hope that someday I could get well. 

  I’ve learned that no matter what we’re experiencing, we can have hope—confident expectation—based on who God is and what He has promised.

God is our hope even when it seems nothing is left for us but death. In spite of feeling hopeless, Job knew that God was the only one he could hope in. Job believed his trial would only end at his death. Still he declared: Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him (Job 13:15a). 

As the storm rages around you, you may feel like you have nothing left, no hope. But with the LORD, you don’t have to succumb to hopelessness. In those dark moments of despair, when all hope seems gone, let the light of God’s truth shine on you. You may not know what will happen next, but you do know who your God is. He is your hope. 

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth… 

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. -Psalm 71:5, 14

(from Seeing God Through The Storm - Empowering Truths From The Book of Job)

Benefits of Butter

For several decades mainstream media promoted the message that margarine was healthier than butter. But finally the truth is being revived! The facts haven't changed, but at last more people are hearing the truth. 

Truth is: margarine is very bad for your health (*that's a whole post in itself, but you can read this detailed article for more info), and butter is very good for your health.

Butter contains many healthy components, including:

- vitamins A, D, E, and K

- important trace minerals like selenium (often more easily absorbed from butter than other sources) and natural iodine 

- the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids

- butter from grass-fed cows contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps protect against cancer

- glycospingolipids, which help protect against infections in the gut

- healthy cholesterol

and more. 

Some of the health benefits of eating butter are:

- protection against heart disease

- protection against cancer

- preventing arthritis and joint stiffness (by ensuring calcium in your body is put into your bones instead of joints or other tissues)

- promotes thyroid health (and a healthy endocrine system)

- protects against asthma

- helps with weight control (No, butter does not make you fat. In fact it can even help with losing weight.)

- keeping a healthy gut

- promotes healthy cellular function

- good for the immune system

and more.

Clearly butter is a wonderful food with many health benefits! However it is important what kind of butter you eat. 

- Regular butter sold in grocery stores is better than margarine. However, it's not the best option since conventional dairy cows are filled with antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals, which end up in the dairy products.

- Organic, grass-fed butter sold in grocery stores is better than non-organic butter, since it should be free of the chemicals listed above. However it's still been processed and pasteurized. 

- Organic, grass-fed, raw butter is free of chemicals and hasn't been pasteurized, thus it's the best kind. You can often find it at a local farmer's market.

I bought some organic, raw butter at our farmer's market and have been enjoying it. My herbalogist says butter is so good for you that you can't eat too much of it. For most people this is probably true. However, for me, I'm only eating a small amount each day (like 1-3 teaspoons), because it seems to make me detox more. If I eat too much then I experience symptoms from the detoxing. Hopefully I'll be able to increase the amount gradually. 

So, if you can find it, give organic, raw butter a try. Just remember to start slow and listen to your body. Then enjoy the wonderful health benefits of this amazing food! 

*Margarine exposed: the quick explanation of why margarine is so bad for you - 

It contains trans fats, free radicals, industrial chemical solvents, bleach, artificial colors and flavors (to mask the awful color and flavor of the hydogenated oils it's made from), preservatives, sterols, and other harmful ingredients. 

These ingredients contribute to problems like heart disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance, infertility, thyroid disfunction, and more. 

More articles about butter:

health benefits of butter

Top 8 health benefits of butter