Hello everyone! We just got back from the Texas Shindig Conference & it was great fun. My three little kids had a blast playing, my husband worked NON-STOP (no breaks to even eat), and I loved meeting all of you. My email is Kristen at SimplyKristen dot Com (code so I won’t get a bunch of spam mail) & here is my facebook page – so you can find me there
Please email with questions – or if you are wanting my clinician/mentor’s contact – here is her website.

There was one issue I completely forgot to mention during my talk and it is SO important! What we put ON our skin, goes INTO our blood stream. Almost all of the mainstream market cosmetics are completely toxic, cancerous, and hormone disrupting. Use a natural lotion and deodorant (I use Tropical Traditions and love it), natural makeup, high quality natural shampoos, and you will be filling your toxic bowl much slower! Here is a great article about the many chemicals you are coming into contact with if you are not using natural/non-toxic alternatives.

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I have my computer back and am able to BLOG!!!!

The Women’s Conference was a great success! We hope to have one every year with a variety of speakers. So, keep checking back here and through the Southern Middle TN Weston A Price Foundation. We will have the Nourishing Women’s Conference DVD ready for sale in the coming weeks (before Christmas is the goal). I would NOT miss out on the info in this DVD, as many women have told what a blessing it was to them and how it has helped them with their health and the health of their family!

So, here’s what’s been going on in our household!!!!!

My husband has been traveling a lot lately to cool places like California, Thailand, Laos, Philippines, Washington state, etc. I have traveled a bit also. Once to Maine for a 10 year high school reunion and once to South Carolina, with the children, to visit family. Going to Maine was the first time I have traveled alone (like TOTALLY by myself) since having my first child seven years ago. It was a great time to reconnect with old WONDERFUL friends, see the place where I lived 20 years ago (I didn’t actually graduate from HS there, but have kept in touch with people….thank you Facebook), and step outside of my comfort zone. After returning home, an important truth, that I already knew in my head….. became REAL to me (which, BTW, are TWO different things): That, when this life is over I will be standing before God by myself…. not with my husband, not with my parents, not even with my children. I will be alone, and I, alone, responsible before Him.

While I WILL be held responsible for how I treated the aforementioned people according to His instructions…… my identity is not wrapped up in them. My identity is my own before Him. I know this all sounds obvious but it has HUGE implications. When my husband is grumpy (rare) – it doesn’t necessarily have to do with ME. When he is not happy with something, it doesn’t reflect onto my own worth or standing. As my children age and begin to make their own choices – those choices are their’s alone. Not mine. I won’t have to pay for them or answer for them. Same goes with my husband. It is quite freeing when you *really* think about it. It also helps me do better in the jobs I have as homemaker, teacher, business partner, etc…. much less to take offense about when you really think about it. It makes me see people as their own autonomous creatures also…. and respect each of my children’s unique identity – as they also, will stand before God alone & responsible for themselves and the choices they have made.

This may sound crazy, but before leaving for Maine I was scared of dying and leaving my children motherless. I am not afraid of the death part or what comes after it, but I was afraid for my children not having a mother. Those fears forced me to think about this “What is the most important thing I can impart to my children???” I came up with these two:

1. I want them to KNOW that someone is going to have to pay for theirs sins committed against God……. and it’s either going to be THEM paying for it – or Jesus. I am reminded it will be their choice to take the free covering Jesus offers OR to reject it – and try to stand on their own “good works” when judged….As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27.

2. God never promises continual physical safety and comfort – but He does promise that He will be there with us in all circumstances (good and bad). So, don’t strive for the comforts of the world, which will all turn to dust. Strive for the things which have eternal value.

Now onto my physical health……
My Hashimoto’s treatment is going well. I am definitely the tortoise in this race! As, every 3 months my thyroid antibodies decrease. When I started this process in March/April of 2011 my bad TPO antibody numbers were at 3,000 & now they are at 1,004. The other bad antibody numbers (TGaB) are now normal!!! I am needing to take half the thyroid medication I took in 2010! So, great news! Who said there are no known cures for autoimmune diseases???? OH!!! And my most recent adrenal test showed NO ADRENAL FATIGUE. My dear little adrenals glands have rested and recovered. I can tell that I can handle stress better. Good thing for the people I live with!!!

I am still working on ridding my body of Candida…. as I retested and I had some come back. Being less strict my diet and being able to have Cane Sugar (in small amounts) is probably what made it return. Soy-free chocolate bars are quite a weakness of mine! It knows my name and calls to me, sweetly, each evening!

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Update! You can receive a $10 off coupon by including the words BONEBROTH in your registration letter or paypal

Warning! If you live too far from Nashville, TN to attend this conference… you may want to stop reading now for fear of major jealousy!

What?
Nourishing Women Through Life, Stress, and Hormones Conference

What will we cover at the conference?
Nutrition throughout each stage of our female lives
Thyroid
Pregnancy
Autoimmunity
Digestion
Balancing Hormones
Weight loss
Adrenal Health
Stress
Blood Sugar Regulation
Hydration & Minerals
Skin Care
Question and Answer Time!

When?
Saturday, June 16th
8:30 Registration
9:00 – 4:00 Conference with a breaks for snacks, lunch, and greetings.

Where?
Central Christian Church in Columbia, TN @ 701 Bear Creek Pike

How much are tickets & how do I pay?

Early Bird Special through May 31st – $25/person!
After June 1st (or at the door) – $40/person.

We may have to limit the amount of tickets sold, so reserve your spot now by mailing a check to:

WAPF Southern Middle TN
c/o Sherri Leiter
286 Nash Rd.
Summertown, TN 38483

If you are paying for more than one person by check, include that information with the check, or email the name(s) of the other attendees to me. kristen@simplykristen.com

You can also send Pay Pal payments to wapfsouthernmiddletn@yahoo.com

What will I eat?
Healthy & Gluten-Free Snacks will be available to purchase at the conference.
Bring your own lunch and we will all eat together and get to know each other!

Who is the main speaker?
If you have read any of my previous blog posts about healing Hashimoto’s, then you already know a little about her.
Anne Fischer Silva is a clinical nutritionist and licensed esthetician. She is the owner of “A New Leaf Nutrition & Skincare”, a private practice located in Petaluma, CA. Anne has served clients from throughout the United States for thirteen years, with an emphasis on hormonal health, thyroid, autoimmunity, liver function, digestion, and much more! Anne received her certification in Functional Nutrition from AIMI in Washington, D.C. Over the last thirteen years, she has taught nutrition courses in Washington, Hawaii, and California, hosted “Health-Wise” (a weekly radio show), written articles for health publications, and spoken at many conferences throughout the country. The focus of her practice is educating people about the importance of nutrient-dense foods and balancing biochemistry. She is passionate about teaching, fresh local food, cooking, gardening, and connection around the table.

Testimonials
“I am a student of natural health, but when I started to have thyroid problems after my third child was born, I could not get any straight answers from natural health approaches or the standard medical community. When I found Anne she knew exactly which tests I needed to pinpoint the WHYs behind my issues…. and which steps to take (and which order) to regain my health. I am still working on some aspects of healing but have been SYMPTOM FREE and have felt great for a year-plus now! I appreciate her slow but focused approach with a goal of true HEALTH, not just management of disease. I would not be where I am today without her.” – Kristen, 28 Nashville, TN

“I struggled with eczema since birth. I tried strict diets, regular doctors, and even off-the-beaten-path-healers. My eczema would sometimes improve, but not significantly, and always came roaring back no matter what I did. I started working with Anne – she directed me toward specific blood tests. I started avoiding what she said to avoid and adding what she said to add. Within 3 weeks my eczema was completely gone. Amazing!” – Cameron, 16 Lawrenceburg, TN

Now, the only question is? How many of you will I see there?

Here’s the beautiful Anne!

By the way….. a few vendor tables are still open. If you are interested, email me!

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Here is an email I sent to a lady who had pain every time she ate. She thinks it might be connected to gluten & wanted to know what steps she should take to heal. Here is my email to her:

Read the rest of this entry »

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Last I wrote about Hashimoto’s and healing autoimmune diseases, I wrote about the Adrenal Glands and how they are paramount, and one of the foundations of health. Now we are onto the other foundation of health – the Gastrointestinal Tract (or the GI tract). Just like you can never have a sturdy building that is built on a messed up foundation….. you can NEVER build long lasting health if the foundations of health (your GI) is not in good working order. Imagine a tree’s roots…. it’s where they soak up nutrients, water, and are able to grow. If a tree’s roots are not functioning, the tree will start dying. The same is for humans, the symptoms just starts in behavior, psychological, hormonal, autoimmune or cancers will results.

2 interesting facts: 80% of your immune system functions out of your GI system, AND the lining of all your intestines would cover a football field!!!

I would tell anyone who is struggling with ANY health related to diseases to start doing the behavior modifications to heal the adrenals & support the GI tract though enzymes, probiotics, and diet changes to help heal their GI system. Here are 13 tips to Heal Leaky Gut

OKay, so what did I do to start healing my gut? Since I did not have many symptoms of digestive stress (except having an autoimmune disease… which is a pretty obvious symptoms) I had a GI Panel Test run through my clinician, Anne. My Doctor recommended the same exact test, but it would have been more expensive through the lab they used… so I went with Anne’s lab which is Diagnos-Techs,Inc.

My results showed:
- High levels of several different types of Rhodotorula species and Candida (fungus overgrowth)
- Pathogens/Bacterial Overgrowth Detected: (like strep, Klebsiella pneumoniae….. which are found in connection to autoimmune diseases)
- Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) – Which is found in 50% of Americans, and is connected to stomach cancers, leaky gut, etc. The truth is, most water supplies are contaminated with this bacteria – but that it cannot survive in a healthy balanced GI tract.
- Extremely low Total Intestinal SIgA (Stool): Means that I had been fighting and fighting for so long, that my lining could no longer fight.
- Ongoing colonic inflammation
- A low Chymotrypsin – poor pancreatic output of all enzymes.

That’s a lot of problems for someone who didn’t think I had anything wrong

So, I had to:
- get rid of the fungus overgrowth (makes for leaky gut and other damage)
- kill the h.pylori (they burrow into the sides of your stomach and create leaky issues)
- heal the lining
- decrease inflammation
- take enzymes, probiotics, and hydrochloric acid to aid in digestion during this healing time.

For 3 months I did this protocol:
- Ate minimal grains (small amount of rice, potatoes, quinoa), minimal fruits so the fungus would starve
- Took S.Boulardii probiotics with every meal. This strain of pro-biotics attack the fungus.
- took a h.pylori killing product twice a day, away from food (this would have also killed the good bacteria if I took it at the take time)
- Took L-Glutamine, ate a lot of bone broths to heal the lining of the intestinal tract. Did my own version of the GAPS diet
- Had two different food sensitivity tests run (the Alletess Antibody Test through my doctor & and the MRT/Leap Test through Anne). These are both blood tests that test for food sensitivities. I avoided all the foods that popped up on these tests. The reason behind this was to help the lining heal. After 6 months (and I was healed) I began adding back in the foods one at a time (except of soy, gluten, and corn) to see if I reacted negatively. I’ll never be able to eat those foods daily again, but so far I have not had any obvious negative reactions and can enjoy the foods once or twice a week without damage.
- Took an enzyme, a intestinal healer, and a probiotic with every meal to encourage healing.

After 3 months I retested all my bad markers. I found this:
NO Fungus
NO h.pylori
NO signs of leaky gut
NO inflammation
My GI’s ability to fight was back!!! (albeit far too high)

I was on my way to healing and SOOO excited! I maintained that health by continuing to take probiotics, eating broth and high nutriious foods, avoiding the food sensitivities till the 6 months ended, not eating too many grains, taking l-glutamine (mostly) daily, taking enzymes, and continuing to do my best in what I put in my mouth!

I’ll be doing another test relatively soon to make sure my markers are staying where they need to be. I’ll update then!

(by the way, it’s still possible I may need to go on the full GAPS diet, and I am doing a dairy free trial in 2 months for 3 months because no food sensitivity test is perfect & I want to see how it will affect my antibody count…. NOT looking forward to that…. even a little bit)

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