No one likes to deal with Eczema... like no one. 

That dry, scaly, itchy, and sometimes weeping rash is so uncomfortable. Babies and toddlers seem to have it more often than adults, but I've seen many adults with it as well. 
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It seems to be like eczema is on the rise, or maybe we are just talking about it more? I remember growing up I had one friend who had severe eczema. She couldn't use any soap at the commercial grocery stores, in fact, her mother bought her soap from the Amish. Looking back, I would say that was my first interaction with handmade soap. 

Hello everyone! It has been exactly one month since I last posted on this website and for that I am sorry! So much has happened in this last month! 

The biggest thing that has happened is I had surgery! I know right?! Well I had to have an appendectomy (removal of my appendix) and I had a cyst inside my ovary about the size of a golf ball that had to be removed! This all happened about a week ago, but I had not been feeling too well for a few weeks prior to the operation.  I will spare everyone all of the gory details, but it was a very quick thing that happened:

-Earlier in the month, I had realized I was not feeling 100%. I of course dove into my alternative medicine and health books to try to figure out what was going on. To me, all of my symptoms seemed to be leading to my womb. I was wondering if I was pregnant and something was wrong, at the time I had mirena, but I have heard of women getting pregnant while on mirena. I took pregnancy tests and found that I was not pregnant. Then last Tuesday, I was visiting my Father when I realized something was really wrong. The pain in my stomach was serious. I stopped at an After Hours clinic to see if there was something easy to diagnose. The doctor did not do anything for me. She drew blood and said they would call me back in a week and to take it easy. She did say if my pain got any worse to go to the hospital. About 3 hours later my husband and I decided to go to the hospital because I could not handle the pain anymore. After waiting at the hospital for 4 hours I was sent home and was told to come back if my pain got any worse, that I might be having the beginning stages of appendicitis or an infection of some kind. Sure enough about 10 hours later we returned to the hospital. That was when everything started happening pretty quick. A doctor met me in the room where they take your vitals and began talking about a large cyst on my ovary. I was given something for pain very quickly and the taken to get an ultrasound. The Emergency Room doctors then came and talked to me after some tests and told me that I needed an "OB team" because the pain was definitely my cyst. I'd have to say, that I'm lucky that my problems were in this womanly department because a mentor and doctor of mine, Dr. Dutt, is my OB/GYN and she practices regular and Alternative Medicine. It took about 9 hours to get a call from her, but I could tell that my situation was pretty serious when she spoke with me on the phone. The normally bubbly doctor told was very serious and explained that I was definitely having surgery that day and she was going to do everything she could to save my ovary. She came and saw me in Pre-op and told me I was going to be okay and to trust her. That being said she did an amazing job! She removed my appendix because it looked swollen and  "WONKY" and I would probably end up back getting that removed in a week. She saved my ovary and left me forever appreciative for what she did for me. 

Like I have said before many times, with my own clients and here on this blog, there are times when Western Medicine is needed. In my case, Eastern medicine probably would not have helped or saved me. So if you aren't finding relief with Eastern medicine, you need to consult a health care professional and/or your doctor. 

Right now I am doing well and I am looking forward to getting myself back to feeling healthy again. I am currently going to school for my bachelor's in complimentary and alternative health. I am going to continue to further my education by learning acupuncture and many other forms of Eastern medicine. I hope to one day make an impact on someone's life the way my doctors have made on mine!

Please don't forget to submit your questions and comments to me by commenting on the blog, facebook, twitter, and/or via email! I am back to running to website full time again!

Warmly, 
Jessica Kellaway

Since I have been sick and dealing with a sinus infection I have been eating certain foods. The best thing I was able to eat was this wild rice and veggie soup I created. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 bag of mixed frozen organic veggies
2 cups of veggie stock
2 cups of water
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion chopped
1 cup dry mixed brown and wild black rice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of oregano 
pinch of parsley
pinch of herbs de providence 
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of black pepper


Directions:
-In a small pot, put chopped onion & chopped garlic cloves in with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. 
-Sautee about 3 minutes
-Add the vegetable stock & water
-Add the frozen veggies, cook on med-low
-While you are cooking the veggies and stock, cook the rice in a rice cooker
-When the rice is done cooking add the rice and spices
-Bring to a boil for a minute or two
-Enjoy with some hot sauce or just plain! 

Hello everyone! I know it has been a week or so since I last posted but so much has happened in this last week! There are a lot of new things coming from Healthy by Choice- many starting in the New Year, but one thing that is new as of today are our salves!

We also have a new formula for our lip balms! Click here to check them out. They are $2 and if you order one by Saturday December 1st you will get  a FREE goat's milk soap!

Healthy by Choice is now making salves for all your different needs!
Here are the types we have now:
-Tattoo Salves
-Dry/Cracked Skin
-Ezcema
-Burns
-Diaper Rash
-Bug Bites
-Inflammation
-Muscles Rubs
-Skin healing (general)

They are all pretty awesome and are all 100% organic! As of right now they come in 2 different sizes- 1 ounce and 4 ounce sizes! They will be uploaded to Etsy soon- but if you want to get an order in please email me or comment here! I can get your order ready quickly! Click Here to be taken to Healthy by Choice's shop on Etsy!

jesblog2@gmail.com

Aging is something that is inevitable. We are born, we live, we grow old, we die. There are many ways to make sure that you live longer, don't get diseases, and be healthier overall. In the United States, life expectancy is at an all time high- 77 years of age! That is much higher than the 1900- 40 years of age life expectancy. So here is the breakdown:

One thing you have to be careful of is watching your brain function when you start getting older. There are many different vitamins and minerals that will help the overall function of your brain. Here are the nutrient-brain relationship:

• Short-term memory: Vitamin B12, C, and E
• Performance in problem solving tests: Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C.
• Mental Health: Thaimin, Niacin, Zinc, and Folate
• Cognition: Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Iron, and Vitamin E
• Vision (avoid cataracts): essential fatty acids, Vitamin A
• Neurotransmitter synthesis: Tyrosine, Trypotphan, Choline

Taking these supplements or getting them through your food will help your brain function. Dementia and Alzhemier's are a prevalent problem when people start getting older.. are you wondering if you or someone you love is showing signs of dementia? Here is a set of symptoms to watch out for:

• Agitated behavior
• Becoming lost in familiar settings
• Confusion
• Delusions
• Loss of interest in daily activities
• Loss of memory
• Loss of problem-solving skills
• Unclear thinking

If you or someone you love is showing signs of dementia, make an appointment with your doctor quickly. Early detection is a very key factor in treatment.

So if you want to slow the aging process down here are some principals to live by:

1. Make healthy habits- this means regular and adequate amount of sleep every night, regular- well balanced meals, maintain a healthy body weight, regular physical activity, and NO SMOKING
2. Physical activity- having daily physical activity can bring awesome benefits such as better weight control, greater flexibility and endurance, better balance, better overall health, and longer life. Great activities include aerobic, strength training, balance, and flexibility- these can all be down weekly.
3. Restrict caloric intake- (if you usually have 2000 calories a day, drop down to about 1800 or 1500)

Once you reach about 45-50 make sure you are getting the adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Here are the daily requirements:

1. Protein: The CDC recommends that a woman should have 46 grams of protein a day and a man should have 56 grams of protein.
2. Carbohydrates & Fiber: About 180 grams of carbohydrates should be consumed daily. Carbohydrates protect protein from being used as an energy source. Also the daily requirements for Fiber is 25-30 grams daily.
3. Fats: Stay away from trans fats all together. Have unsaturated fats as much as possible- sparingly.
4. Vitamin D: For the ages 51-70, 15 IU per day. For the ages 70 and up, 20 IU per day. This can be achieved by drinking fortified milk- this also gives a healthy dose of calcium.
5. Vitamin B12: 2.4 IU per day is recommended. 
6. Folate: 400 IU per day. 
7. Iron: 8 mg/day 
8. Zinc: Men need 11mg per day and women need 8 mg per day.
9. Calcium: Men need 1000 mg/day and women need 1200 mg/day
10. Water: Women need 8 cups of water per day in order to stay hydrated properly. Men need about 13 cups a day to stay properly hydrated.

Follow the above and you should grow older happy and healthy!