Tuesday, October 27, 2009

H1N1 Given by Accident

More About Green Tea from Dr. Mercola

I need to check one of my new fave teas! I never thought about where the teas came from. Isn't that funny? I check agave nectars and organic local veggies and fresh produce, but - never thought about my tea! Until now.

Make Sure Your Green Tea is Green

Many green teas have been oxidized, which takes away much of the health benefits de­rived from drinking them.


If your green tea is brown, it has likely been oxidized.


What you want is green tea that’s actually green in color. Ideally, you want green tea which contains the entire ground tea leaf. Matcha tea is what I prefer. It is of such high quality it can contain over 100 times the EGCG found in regular brewed green tea!


Matcha tea is a vibrant bright green color. It is of much higher quality than most other green teas, and you can be assured you’re not consuming fluoride or other toxic sub­stances found in lesser quality teas.


Unlike other teas which you steep and strain, matcha tea is a powder made from ground green tea leaves. You add the powder right into the water. You are consuming the whole leaf, which makes matcha tea one of the healthiest green teas available.


My personal choice, Royal Matcha Green Tea, comes from Japan, is USDA certified organic, and is a premium green tea of the very highest quality.

In general, you want to make sure your choice of green tea is:

  • free of fluoride, lead and aluminum
  • vibrant green in color
  • grown in nutrient-rich, clean soil (the majority of green tea is grown in China, Paki­stan and India, where soil conditions can be potentially toxic)
We have a new grocery store in the city, near where I live. I've been there twice, since it opened on Tuesday. Next time I go, I will check out the tea a little more. I have only bought tea at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, assuming they were safe. Well, no - I do NOT assume at Trader Joe's. They are on the line, in my opinion.

More about teas next week and a new vitamin we are trying with Nicolas. It's a love and hate relationship with that vitamin.

Halloween is tomorrow. Not sure yet what we will do... lots of discussions though. Time will tell.

My Late Great Friend

I quit drinking coffee around 45 days ago. I don't feel any better - yet. Yet is the key word. I do not have a scheduled bedtime and my hours of sleep vary greatly from one to the next. If I were consistent, I could probably think more clearly and feel better. Guess I really should look at my sleep (or lack thereof).

I have read many articles and visited many websites regarding the danger of coffee, caffeine, tea, etc. Bla, bla, bla...



I am not much of a person who practices moderation. I am hot or cold; not lukewarm. I am "all in" or I leave the table... so to speak. Things are very black and white with me. Right or wrong. It's just how I am. Think Hubs knows this? MMMWWWaaaa.... I am cracking myself up here today.

This one, I felt was worthy to share. Enjoy (or not). Taken from here.

The Truth: Coffee Can Wreck Your Health

Among the typical health claims about coffee is it decreases the risk of developing cer­tain cancers and diabetes. However, it increases your risk for stomach cancer and leu­kemia. Just like with most drugs, there are perceived benefits – and then there are the side effects which often render the “cure” worse than the disease.

Coffee can also[5]:

  • interfere with your body’s ability to use water, and promote fluid loss
  • raise your cholesterol
  • send your insulin levels out of control
  • contribute to rheumatoid arthritis and stroke
  • damage your blood vessels
  • increase your risk of heart disease

Coffee interferes with your body’s ability to use folate, and vitamins B12 and B6. Your body needs these nutrients in order to keep your homocysteine level in the healthy range. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with a wide range of serious, even life-threatening conditions.


Pesticide Exposure

Chances are the coffee you drink is made from beans grown outside this country.

Coffee beans are known to be a heavily sprayed crop, and the U.S. has limited input and control over the type and quantity of pesticides used in the countries from which we import.

Aside from the damage coffee alone can do, pesticides are contributors to a wide range of health problems, including prostate and other cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and even miscarriages.


Metabolic Damage

Coffee stimulates your adrenals -- the hormones that activate your fight or flight re­sponse. If your adrenal hormones are stimulated too often, which is bound to happen if you are a daily coffee drinker, your adrenal glands may eventually burn out.

When your adrenals no longer function effectively, your body will go in search of a re­placement hormone -- which happens to be progesterone.


Progesterone has its own full-time job to do, part of which is to keep your body’s estro­gen in balance. As your progesterone is used up compensating for your exhausted ad­renals, you run the risk of becoming estrogen dominant.

Estrogen dominance can lead to osteoporosis.


Coffee also raises the acidity level of your blood, causing calcium to be pulled from your bones and teeth for use as a buffering agent. The combination of estrogen dominance and high blood acidity puts you at an even greater risk for osteoporosis. In fact, research has established an undeniable link between coffee consumption and hip fractures.


Caffeine -- Coffee’s Not so Hidden Menace

Caffeine is a psychoactive substance able to alter the way your brain functions, bringing about temporary changes in your behavior and mood.[6] The more sensitive you are to the drug, the more pronounced its effects. Caffeine intoxication is not an uncommon condition -- especially with the high levels of caffeine found in today’s “energy drinks.”


My firm position is that caffeine is a very powerful drug and should be avoided or strictly lim­ited.


Symptoms and health hazards of caffeine use can include:

  • insomnia
  • a rise in blood pressure and stress hormone levels
  • heart palpitations
  • a sensation of jitteriness and nervousness
  • symptoms of anxiety, especially if you already have a panic or anxiety disorder
  • depletion of iron and calcium levels in women

If you happen to be a protein Nutritional Type™, you are likely extra sensitive to caf­feine. I recommend you consume it only in small quantities, if at all, and never in the late afternoon or evening, as it may interfere with your ability to sleep.


Honestly, for the first time in my entire life - I cannot get to sleep at night. For the last month, I just lay there... thinking. Ever since I quit drinking coffee. I don't understand it, but - I am not going back to the dirty water. The pesticides on coffee beans... well, that is really disagreeable to me. Yuck.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Darn It

Taken from Dr. Mercola... as I was looking for something else. Dang it all...



The Tricky Terrain of Vaccines

No doubt this study will be closely scrutinized and no effort spared to try to dismiss it as its findings are quite significant. If there are neurological effects after just one dose of mercury-containing vaccine, what might the ramifications be when you inject multiple vaccines within a short amount of time?

In the US, most childhood vaccines are now thimerosal-free. Vaccines that still contain mercury include:

  • All DTwP products (Diphtheria, Tetanus & whole cell Pertussis)
  • DT (Diphtheria & Tetanus) multi-dose vials
  • All Tetanus Toxoid vaccines
  • Meningococcal multi-dose vials
  • All multi-dose vials of seasonal- and swine flu vaccine, typically recommended for adults and children over the age of three.

For a list of mercury content in US licensed vaccines, please see this link.

The vaccine-safety community fought long and hard to get thimerosal removed from childhood vaccines, and now, just a few short years later, we’re looking at government recommendations that include multiple injections of mercury-containing flu vaccines year in and year out from early toddlerhood…

We’ve also discovered that thimerosal is not the only dangerous ingredient in vaccines.

Some include highly toxic aluminum-derivatives that may be even worse than mercury, and a number of other adjuvants have been shown to be highly problematic.

Unfortunately, there are so many vaccines, and so many ingredients, and a variety of brands with their own patented and therefore largely secret formulations – it makes for a very tricky terrain.

You also have differences between the vaccines released in Europe, versus those released in the US.

It’s virtually impossible to take into account every single one of these factors when writing on the topic of vaccines, which will naturally be used as ammunition by those who refuse to see the forest for the trees.

I mention that to remind you all to not dismiss the main point off-hand, if you find what appears to be an error or omission here or elsewhere.

That said, I believe it’s clear that these studies, taken as a whole, are like smoke signals, indicating that there are significant health dangers linked to excessive vaccinations, even though science still may have a ways to go to pin down the exact mechanisms for each and every chemical and biological reaction.

Problems with Vaccine Foreign Proteins

I met Dr. Shiv Chopra earlier this month in Washington DC at the International Vaccine Conference and he presented the following additional perspective and concerns regarding the actual injection of the vaccine.

Anyone who understands the basics of biology will know that all vaccines by their very definition are antigens and every antigen by definition must be a foreign protein.

Interestingly you will never find anywhere in nature where foreign proteins are allowed to directly enter your blood stream whole and intact. They are always first digested in your intestinal system and broken down into its constituent amino acids, dipeptides and tripeptides.

Any interference or tempering with these laws of existence, such as injecting foreign proteins, has great potential to bring calamity to your health and cause auto-immune diseases like autism.. This is precisely what may be happening with our massive reliance on vaccine injections.

Neurological Harm from just ONE Dose of Thimerosal-Laced Vaccine

The study above, which was carefully designed and tightly controlled to prevent bias from entering into the assessments, found that primates that received just ONE dose of hepatitis B vaccine containing thimerosal (adjusted for weight to simulate amount given to infants) suffered significant developmental delays.

The vaccinated monkeys took more than twice as long as unexposed controls to acquire three standardized skills typically used to measure infant brain development.

As well-designed as the study is, the authors are still careful and conservative in their conclusions, stating that there are still open questions. For example, they state that:

“Our study design does not enable us to determine whether it is the vaccine per se, the exposure to thimerosal, or a combination of both that is causing the observed effects. “

I’m sure they’re not willing to jump to conclusions about thimerosal, but their statement does not offer any comfort if you’re looking for an indication that the HBV vaccine, with or without thimerosal, is SAFE.

Because if it’s not due to thimerosal but the HBV vaccine itself, then we need to seriously reconsider injecting even thimerosal-free hepatitis vaccines – and possibly reconsider injecting other viral concoctions, with or without thimerosal, as well.

Whichever way you slice it, it’s bad news for the vaccine industry.

Factors that appeared to influence the neurological effects included birth weight and gestational age, which is an indication that vaccinating premature and/or low birth weight infants creates especially high risk.

Interestingly, these results fit like a proverbial hand in glove with other recent statistics from the National Health Information Survey (NHIS), which found that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine had a 3-fold greater risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).



Saturday, October 24, 2009

Creation Museum Silliness

Check out Nick's tongue. Is he imitating the t-rex or what?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Vaccine Triples the Risk of Autism in Infant Boys

A friend sent me the below article, which originated over at Age of Autism. Somehow, I missed it.



Each time I read something like this, my heart falls to the ground and I get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am angry and sad and thankful, all at the same time! Certainly there must be a technical name for the feelings that describe my condition: frustrated mom of a special child?


What does God see, when He looks at me? What would He like to see? More what? Patience?


What does He see when He looks at my little boy? Potential? A heart that loves His word? Yes, I believe He does.


I, on the other hand, see an often hyper child, emotional, frustrated and so smart and so bored and so lonely. And sometimes - funny and sweet, of course.




I do not pretend to fully understand free will and/or predestination. It is God's will that we all spend eternity with Him; yet - we know this will not happen. The only thing I know to be true is the Word of God and it’s what I cling to. I know that bad things happen to innocent people, all the time, all over the world. I also know that the enemy of our souls is no respecter of persons. Age matters not. He is a thief and comes to steal, kill and destroy. Oftentimes, my joy has been stolen and my relationships are weak. In my weakness He is strong, man – it’s touch at times. My boy and I can be playing board games or Scrabble one minute and then - he can rip my heart out when he lays on the floor writhing and crying. Know what it makes me want to do?

Yep – you guessed it! I want to lay on the floor and cry too. But, I don’t. Good grief – then Olivia would think she should do it too! BLAH – can you just see all three of us laying on the floor, just freaking out? Where I go, the dogs go. Add two dogs to the three of us. Hey – it would be a big pity party with lots of licking.

Ok, I am being silly. Kinda…



Been a wild week. Work is good. Hubs is good. Kids – they keep me on my toes! I should be skinny then – right!?! ((Smile)) Oh, if it were only true!




Oh, by the way, it's been over a month without coffee. Only 4 days have been without feeling totally crappy. I have felt awful for nearly 5 weeks. Boo-hoo. I don't feel so sorry for myself when I think about how Nick feels.

Today was day #5out of 33 (or 34), without feeling some sort of odd ill feeling or headache. Thank God! Let's hope tomorrow is the same. Any day without a headache is a great day, no matter what those kids do to me!

Time will tell, as always.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Laugh Shock

Too busy to blog and escape my created chaos - but, this video is awesome. Had to share it!



Oh - I am too chicken to try this. I am afraid it might become too fun for me too!! Just kidding... and I wish it were that easy to get a special child to stop as well. Right?

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

So Close & Yet So Far

Evey once in a while, I feel like I get really close to understanding my son and his illness. And then, there are days when I have done everything right: supplements, exercise, sleep, environment, immunity drops, attitude, food, water, etc. - and... I get some off-the-wall behavior or he gets sick. Even with his gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, and all the other "free's" of healthy food I make for Nicolas, there are still some hard days...


At this point in our recovery, when we are working so hard to buy and cook whole foods without checmicals, pesticides and all the junk -- it can seem very defeating, and like a step backwards.

This is where and when my faith comes in to action. Action! I am going to believe my child is healing, even when I do not see anything. This is one of those times.

The rest of this week I will describe what it is like to travel with a special needs child, with food allergies and how it affected our group. Clearly, God gave me some supernatural patience last weekend and my memories are mostly happy. I choose to keep the happy memories, that is. Uh - like, why would I want to remember the not-so-good ones? Only to see just how far we have come, that's all - right? And to see how God has provided for us.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things yet unseen!

Goin to the Creation Museum

Nicolas is very, very smart and he has an incredible memory. His manners, on the other hand, oh dear! His ability to understand and follow directions... well - that's another story as well.

We ran in to so much of Nicolas last weekend, especially his literal-ness. For example, when I was trying to take his picture, he wasn't looking at me or the camera, so I said, "Hey Nick - look up". Guess what he did? He looked up, towards the sky and heavens. Of course, I didn't think too much of this and he was upset because he didn't understand why I wanted him to look up. What did I want him to see?


My mother traveled with us and she didn't understand Nicolas. That's ok - I know God understands him and if I am patient enough, I usually do too. "I just forgot" when I asked him to look up. There are times that I so wish I had been an English major! My grammar would be so much better and I just know that I would use less slang. Or at least I think I would.

On the way down to Kentucky, we played Rock, Paper - Scissors, whenever we were waiting. It was a good thing to play with the kids. I have quit drinking coffee (25 days ago) and it was really, really hard to go on a road trip without getting coffee at our stops and potty breaks! But - I did it. Hubs quit drinking coffee a couple weeks ago, due to his tummy troubles, and so it helped that he wasn't slurping down java while driving. I didn't have to smell it in the vehicle and in fact, I sniffed essential oils most of the time.



Interestingly enough, we took an alternative route to Kentucky from Wisconsin and it took us almost 2 hours less to get there than it did coming home. Avoid Chicago. We always avoid Chicago whenever we can. Indianapolis is better than Chicago!

We drove through cloudy rain the entire 7 hours there. But - even in the rain, it was 20 degrees warmer, so we didn't care. We got to the hotel and were pleasantly surprised at our large, clean, new bedroom suite. Three queen sized beds and a full kitchen made it good to be able to have food for Nicolas to eat. Oh yeah, the rest of us eat too.



It wasn't an easy trip. Nicolas is not easy, but - he loved the trip... even with all of his complaining. We reviewed cities, states, mileage, gas prices, etc. -- all things that he could easily understand and it did give Hubs a chance to experience what the kids can be like; how frustrating it can be and how to (sometimes) even be able to control the situation. I will need to work more on a few things with the kids before I take them on another little trip. It was work and I am still tired and recovering; but - they learned a lot and I do hope seeds of knowledge have been planted in their hearts. At least a love of science, I also hope.

More on our trip - later this week...

Friday, October 9, 2009

Friday - On the Road

This morning, we packed up our family, plus 2 - and all squeezed into my Ford Explorer and drove to Kentucky.

5 adults + 2 kids = a full vehicle!



Always interesting to travel with 3 generations - especially with Nicolas. I cannot find his magnesium, and may need to drive to Whole Foods in Cincinnati or Indianapolis to get some. Or not. Seems like I recall vowing not to ever forget it again, with my little experiment, earlier this year - didn't I?

How bad could 3 days without complete supplementation be? Hmmm...

I do have some "Peace & Calming" essential oil along - and may use it in Nick's bath tomorrow, if a good swim does not tire him out.

We are going to do some homeschooling educational fieldtrips this weekend. I will post about it tomorrow night. After an 8 hour drive, I need some sleep... especially since this is day #19 (I think) of NO COFFEE. ((sigh)) I am doing ok... for now. This is the longest I have ever gone without coffee, E V E R .

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why

Watch this!

This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. This article on Lew Rockwell discusses how:

  1. The swine flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly.

  2. This is the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines will be administered. Both seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines will require two inoculations. This is because single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies. This is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. Can you trust them this time?

  3. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Why would you sign a consent form for your children to be injected with mercury, which is even more brain-toxic than lead?

  4. This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. The vaccines that have been tested are not the same vaccines your children will be given.

  5. Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. Meanwhile, veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccination in dogs because of observed side effects.

  6. Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated.

  7. Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and then they are more likely to mutate into a more deadly strain.

  8. Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu has become a nearly worthless drug against seasonal flu.

  9. Public health officials are irresponsible in their omission of any ways to strengthen immunity against the flu. No options outside of problematic vaccines and anti-flu drugs are offered, despite the fact there is strong evidence that vitamins C and D activate the immune system and the trace mineral selenium prevents the worst form of the disease.

For even more reasons, please review the full article on LewRockwell.com.

---------------------------------------------------------

Reminder: How to Protect Yourself without Dangerous Drugs and Vaccinations

There will always be threats of flu pandemics, real or created, and potentially toxic vaccines will continue to be peddled as the solution until enough people realize there’s a better, safer, saner way.

You can break free of the drug-solution trap right now by following these natural health principles. I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, which will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

  • Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.

    This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take.

    I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are at a therapeutic level, which is between 50-65 ng/ml. I also recommend using a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp, if you’re in the U.S. Sometime this fall, we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that will allow you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively.

    If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1,000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

    However, most of Dr. Cannell's work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.

  • Avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.

  • Get enough rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

  • Have effective tools to address your stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.

    If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as Meridian Tapping Techniques, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.

  • Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.

  • Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like krill oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils like trans fats found in most processed foods, as it will seriously damage your immune response.

  • Wash your hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.

  • Eat garlic regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe product to use. However, if you are allergic or don't enjoy garlic it would be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good.

  • Avoid hospitals and vaccines. In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to flu bugs of all kinds.

    As a side note, please beware that 21 different pediatric Tylenol products have been recently recalled due to the possibility of bacterial contamination. So, if your child comes down with cold or flu symptoms, make sure you do not give him or her a potentially contaminated product.

    Better yet, help your child recover using more traditional cold and flu remedies, such as, hydrogen peroxide solution in the ear, zinc lozenges, high quality raw honey, or a homemade cough syrup. For more information and instructions, please see this previous article: Is Honey More Effective Than Cough Medicine?

Last but not least, if you do end up being coerced to take the swine flu shot, I strongly recommend you review Dr. Blaylock’s recommendations, which may alleviate some of the associated health risks.


Monday, October 5, 2009

Numbers, Sad Numbers

October 5th? ((sigh))

I don't blog as much I used to. School takes up much of my time. For example...

I accidentally gave Nick food with corn syrup in it last Monday night and it was OBVIOUS within 20 minutes! We went out to eat at a Mongolian grill - had them cook Nick's food in the back, not on the cross contaminated grill. No corn oil; used canola. Used all the fresh veggies & meat. It was the sauce! I hadn't realized that what was once a safe sauce, was before we knew about Nick's corn allergy. (Tongue twister?) Sure, it was gluten-free, MSG-free and dairy-free. But - not corn free...

Nicolas was a mess the whole next day ((school should have been canceled)) and then, on Wednesday, guess what I did? Just as he was starting to come back to his "normal" self, I fed him the leftovers from Monday night! Oh yes I did! It was then, that I actually came to realize the connection with his behavior. Wow - it was noticeable, to say the least.

I don't spend as much time over at Age of Autism as I used to. It's depressing, right now, for me to have to learn anything new. I am living with all I can handle right now and my dog is getting old.

Yes, I said that my dog is getting old. She's 16 and I am content to have her by my side while all the chaos goes on around me. She just hangs out and keeps an eye on me, in between naps, that is.

Autism Prevalence Now At 1 in 91 Children, 1 in 58 Boys
SafeMinds Calls For A Ban on Thimerosal from Seasonal and H1N1 Flu Vaccines In Pregnant Women and Young Children


Now then - to end on a positive note: School is much better this year, than it was last year. :)

BTW - this is day number 18 (maybe 17) without coffee. No coffee for the last 2 1/2 weeks! I made it past my previous record of 15 days. This is the 4th time I have quit in the last 24 years. I don't know, but - maybe it will be my last time? I dunnooooooooo... I am still craving it and am not in the clear yet. Time will tell...