What’s wrong with a normal spring mattress? Formaldehyde and boric acid are ingredients in the flame retardant coatings, the synthetic material doesn’t breathe, and the springs create pressure points. These spring mattresses weren’t created until the 1930′s; up until then people (like my great grandma) slept on cotton-filled mats. So our thought was, if we’re trying to be as natural as possible, what would people have done pre-industrialization? What would Abraham & Sarah have slept on?

We did some research and decided on a mattress and bedding made of 100% all natural wool. Why wool? Besides being naturally flame retardant, waterproof, and dust mite repellant, sheep’s wool regulates body temperature. To clean, deodorize, and fluff the mattresses and bedding you simply lay it out in the sun. How natural is that?

After some searching we found a company called Shephard’s Dream. All their products are all natural or organic and are handmade with such high craftsmanship they are heirloom quality. After having a sample sent to us to test out, we purchased the handmade fir frame, mattress, topper, pillows and comforter. Absolutely heavenly! The wool is incredibly soft (unlike the itchy wool I remember as a kid), the comforter is light and fluffy, and I feel very peaceful and safe when I sleep in it.

There’s an article in this month’s issue of Mental Floss magazine called “Cut it Out: The History of Prophylactic Surgery in America.” It lists “wisdom tooth removal” among the surgeries that may not really be necessary. Several doctors and organizations have called the removal of wisdom teeth a public health hazard that only serves the doctors, who in some cases make  $500,000 per year just by removing the teeth.

It is important to note that I have not been 100% faithful to eating raw vegan these last 8 months; I have typically been “raw until dinner” and then had cooked food and meat at dinner. And then there are the times where we ordered pizza, or went to Freddy’s for some frozen custard. Or the cannoli at Il Vicino. Mmm. But I digress. The point is that my body is at a point now where it requires less medication, even only eating 50-60% raw each day. I would call this experiment a success!

My rheumatologist and family doctor have closely monitored me and have been very happy with the results. Because of my medication they check my blood every six weeks and my kidneys and liver every three months. I have been in remission for over a year now, meaning that while still on the medication I show no clinical signs or symptoms of the disease. In the last 8 months since decreasing my methotrexate dose and increasing fruits and veggies my lab results have actually improved!

I’ve also noticed other positive things about eating fresh, real food: my chronic acne has almost completely disappeared, as has my rosacea. My energy level has increased, I rarely have migraines now, my hair is thicker (a side effect of methotrexate is hair loss), and the whites of my eyes are solid and bright white again.

Using the books The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss, Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow, and the web site Raw Epicurean, we slowly replaced the type of food we ate. We replaced refined sugar for natural sugars like agave nectar or stevia; instead of white or wheat bread we started eating sprouted grain breads (like Ezekiel 4:9 products). We shifted our whole food mentality from convenience food to “how close is this food to its natural state?” Another change was the “quick-exit” eating schedule itself; fruit till lunch, add in greens and grains at lunch, then add meat at dinner (optional).

The next 8 months of the experiment will continue to see more “standard American diet” replaced with more natural ingredients. I’ll work on increasing to 80% raw each day, and start exercising (which up to this point I have not once exercised). Given the past success I expect to see continued improvement. My next rheumatologist appointment is in August, at which time they may decrease my dosage again…

I (Ryan) finally got my weight under 200 pounds for the first time in probably about eight years. I put on a good 15-20 pounds when I did my graduate work at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and simply have not been able to shed them since. Thanks to many things, especially our recent attention given to raw foods, I think this is a sign of good things to come!

Ask Samantha about her taking three pairs of her slacks to the tailor today also!

It started out as hives; I had a couple on my forehead Wednesday night/Thursday but I figured they’d go away. Friday they had spread and were itching terribly (so I scratched, of course). Then Saturday the infection set in, as well as new hives on my back. By Sunday morning my left eye was swollen shut and we decided the hives weren’t going away. We went into my doctor’s immediate care center and they determined that my hives had become infected and morphed into impetigo. They gave me an injection of steroids and a script for seven days of Keflex (cephalexin). It is now Tuesday night and most of the swelling in my face is gone (it is nice to look like me again!), and my hives seem to be healing nicely.

A couple positives to this situation: forced vacation. There is suspicion that my recent hive episodes are stress-related. No way to confirm that one except to get stressed out again, which I have no intention of doing! The last two days have been relaxing (despite the pain, itching, and oozing). Another positive is that I’ve been able to spend time in Bible study that I have been pushing aside, ironically, because I’ve been so busy. I finally finished the study on the 15 Psalms of Ascent (Beth Moore’s Stepping Up) – fantastic study! Another positive is a clean house. Because the last few days I’ve been rather infectious, I’ve been washing *all* the bedding, towels, and anything else I’ve come into contact with. Dishes are done immediately and I spray my vinegar-water and hydrogen peroxide solution behind me as I go. The house has never been cleaner.

What I don’t understand is why I have been having hives in the first place. I had them back in June for one week on my back and then they went away. Then I had them in July in Ireland on my right hand, right after the bad sunburn and all the stress from driving on the *wrong* side of the road. Now this. If I’m immune-suppressed, and if hives are an allergic reaction, then how can hives occur in me? It seems like a paradox.

She has received lots of cards, flowers, visits, phone calls, and even “prayer pages”. The church gave Grandma a real pager and anytime someone prays for her they send her a page and her pager vibrates. She loves to get pages! It really does encourage her and reminds her that she is loved. If you would like page Grandma Betty just call 785.231.3380 and when prompted to enter your phone number type 777#.