I am a stay at home mom. I once belonged to the time card punching, workforce though. What prompted me to leave it? I would love to say it was the desire to spend time with my children (which was a desire), but the final descision to stay home was made primarily because I was sick more often than not. Since changing my diet and adding vitamins to my life, I think I could successfully get out of bed everyday and happily do very well  with a traditional type of job. A few months ago, this wasn’t the case. My first few years of  college I juggled 3 jobs (one full time and 2 part time) and a full load of classes.  Then something happened, I just couldn’t handle it anymore. My once tiddy apartment was always a mess, I had trimed my employment down to one full time job, and I even switched to an easier major at school and cut back to half time. Eventually, I cut my work out totally. My family started before college ended and since I have been a part time librarian, a substitute teacher, and the assistant director at a preschool (the preschool only met 25 hours a week and only part of the year). 2008 and 2009 was spent primarily in bed. Most of those two years my fibromyalgia was so bad I couldn’t even drive.

Now that I am feeling better, I have met, heard from, or heard about several people with fibromyalgia. Of the dozen or so people I have met face to face with fibromyalgia only one has employment and it is part time. So my question is this, How do those very sick with fibromyalgia make a living? I am married and fortunely my husband has thus far been able to provide for my family, but how does everyone else do it? The years I was employed part time, there was no way I could have pushed myself to work more. As a substitute teacher I was able to call in and recieve an assignment on any days I was able to work.

If you have fibromyalgia, what do you do for work? If you don’t, what would you do if you suddenly found yourself with it?

Our family is blessed with the most amazing friends. I am a memeber of a really big church(10,000 members or so). The church encourages us to develop kinship groups. The group my family belongs to is named Daily Grace. So what makes them sooo great, you ask? Where to start… They are the type of friends that bring your family dinner when you are sick, groceries when they think your pantry is just a little to bare and your bank account a little to far from payday, barrow a car when yours is on the fritz, clean your house when your overwhelmed, help you pay your electric bill without even being asked, pray for you at a moments notice, and hold you when you cry. Today’s society can be extremely lonely. There is no need for this. There are more people on this planet than ever before, but somehow most of us have totally lost the perspective of community.

What I am trying to say is Thank You! Thank you for all you have done for us and all you do for each other. The word is a better place because of Daily Grace.

This post started as an email to the parents of Clair. Clair’s father works with my husband and she will be coming home from the hospital tomorrow!! My husband asked me to write down a few things about cloth diapering for the family. I’ve included several hyperlinks and since I’m not sure if the document will get to them by e-mail forwards or a print out, I decided to post a copy of  it in my blog.

We started using cloth diapers for our second daughter at about 1 year of age when she developed allergies to disposable diapers. We used BumGenius one size diapers mostly. We also had Indian and Chinese prefolds with bummis supper whisper covers. These covers were huge and Anara never fully grew into them. For our first purchase, we ordered  this try-it package from cottonbabies.com along with 6 extra prefolded diapers and 2 BumGenius one-size diapers. BumGenius was recommended to me for overnights. After this first order, we realized we really liked the BumGenius. So, I tried sewing together a few cloth diapers like the BumGenius, this was a disaster. I’m and ok seamstress, but the water proof material and size of the diapers were a big challenge. We bought the rest of our diapers (all BumGenius) either from cottonbabies.com or from a little store in Clintonville called Sprout Soup.  They only sold the BumGenius diapers the last time I was in, but they may have increased inventory since. If I were in your position right now I would buy what is listed below in red to start with. Then, as Clair got bigger transition to one-size diapers. Keep in mind that diaper rash creams will make your cloth diapers less absorbent so you will not want to use it with a diaper that cost $20. After we built up the number of diapers we had, we used the prefolds when Anara developed a rash. Cornstarch also works great on diaper rash and will not harm your diapers.

Here are a few options for you…

-Miejer sells micro fiber towels in the automotive section 12 for about $6. In my opinion these towels would make better diapers than the prefold style cloth diapers. They are more absorbent and less bulky. Estimate you will need about 12 or so a day. Then decide how often you want to do your laundry and get a few extra. Personally I would get 3 or 4 dozen and plan to do diaper laundry every other day. These would need to be washed several times (maybe 3 or 6 times) before you put them on Clair. OK, a friend of mine recently told me that although microfiber is great for absorbing, it can not be next to the skin because it will really dry out your skin if it is left on the skin for any amount of time. So my sugestion now is to just go with the Indian prefolds listed below for a newborn/preme baby. Here are a few methods for folding. This twist method may work a little better for Clair at first because it shortens the diaper a little.

-Another option is Indian prefold diapers in preme size = $1 per diaper at cottonbabies.com

-Snappi is a little hook thing that is used instead of diaper pins. They cost $3.95. I would suggest getting 2 to 4.

-All-in-one (AIO) or pocket diapers are another option. They are as easy as disposables. However they cost more. I would definitely plan on getting a few as budget permits. They are just so much less hassle especially if you are out, or if you have a sitter or grandma over that either has never used cloth diaper or isn’t totally supportive of using cloth diaper. Happy Heiny’s sells one at Diaperco for $18.99 and Heiny king sells Mommy’s Touch AIO for $17.95 both fit 4 – 10 lbs. I have not used either of these brand or bought from these places. I have read and herd Happy heiny’s are a really good brand though.

—When Clair is large enough, there are several brands than make one-size AIO and pocket diapers. We used, and I recommend BumGenius one size diapers They fit from 7 to 35 lbs. These fit Anara until she was potty trained. They run about $18 a diaper or $25 if you go with the organic.

—AIOs are one piece and very easy to use. They take a considerable amount of time to time to dry and it may be difficult to get the larger sizes totally clean.

—Pocket diapers have a center pocket that you place absorbent pad into. This is what we used. Since the stuffing comes out these dry much quicker. You can also control the thickness and absorbency of the diaper. When Clair sleeps through the night, this will be a good feature. For the bumGenius diapers we used, 1 layer of soaker material was the same absorbency as a size 2 pampers brand diaper (I checked with water). So, if you know Clair will be wearing her diaper longer than normal or if she soaks through in overnight, you can just add another layer to the pocket.

—AIOs and pocket diapers are also sold in sizes, the one-size diaper made more sense to me because you only have to buy a large collection of diapers once.

-Fitted diapers are still another option. I have never used these. They are a little less work than prefolds, a little more work than AIOs or pocket diapers. They run between $10 and $25. I did not find any that I thought would fit Clair, but Swaddelbees has one for 5+ lbs that cost $15.99

-You will need diaper covers if you use the micro fiber towels, prefold diapers, or fitted diapers. About 3 per day of diapers you buy. Diaper covers come in a few different materials.

–PUL-polyurethane laminate, kind of like a plastic coating, but breathable and not plastic I recommend getting a few of these. I think generally 2 to 3 are used per day. When you take one off leave it on the changing table to dry out and switch at the next changing.

— ProWraps has a premie cover for 2-6 lbs cost $7.99, I have never used this brand or bought from this site. This cover is lined with PUL, buy 2 or 3 per dozen of folding style diapers.

–Wool- If you are worried about diaper rash, these are very breathable. Must be hand washed, but do not need to washed very often. Wool absorbs odor and liquid and kills bacteria. Many people prefer wool diaper covers for overnight. These come in a few different styles. Some velcrow or snap on like other diaper covers. Others are similar to shorts or underware. We had a few pair of longies, which are like sweat paints made out of wool

–Micro fleece- I haven’t noticed this style for sale in the cloth diapering online stores. There are a few people that make cloth diapers in their homes and sell them online, this is where I have seen these before. I mention them because this is a quick fix if you suddenly realize you are out of diaper covers. There are tons of baby outfits made of micro fleece. If the diaper is attached well, a pair of micro fleece sweat paints will work just fine as a diaper cover until the regular diaper cover gets through the wash.

-Wipes- We used t-shirt material cut into wipe sized rags. 8 in x 8 in will fit into a disposable wipes box. You can pick this material up at a fabric store or just use old t-shirts. We found the thinner the material, the softer. T-shirt material does not fray when cut so it does not have to be sewn. Most people that cloth diaper used flannel wipes. You can find several people selling them at etsy.com. We found these a little too thick for diaper wipes. Others use infant wash clothes. Cloth wipes are also sold at cottonbabies.com

—we stored our wipes dry and had a spray bottle to wet the wipe or the baby with when we changed diapers. Some people store their wipes wet, but if you do this dump the wipes out daily so bacteria and mold does not grow on your wipes. There are tons of recipes online for wipes spray. We liked plan water the best. If you use a wipe spray, this should also be remade daily because it to will also grow mold and bacteria.

-Washing your diapers

–You must prewash several times before the first wear. Different diapers suggest a different number of washings. Usually they will come with instructions, but here is a site that lists the most common brands and what to do.

– Here is a description of dry and wet pail methods. We used the dry pail method of storing our dirty diapers. We used a smaller sized, clear Rubbermaid tote with locking handles. You want something with locking handles so when Clair is moving around on her own, it will be harder for her to get into and someone will eventually knock it over. Some people prefer large wet bags (this one is $30) to use at home because when it needs to be washed you can throw it in with the dirty diapers. You will need smaller wet bags (these are $9.50) for when you are out. I would suggest 2 to 5 small ones instead of a larger one. That way if one is in the laundry, you still have one in the diaper bag and we never really had to carry around to many dirty diapers.

1) After placing into the machine we let the soak in cold water for anywhere from 5 minutes to overnight.

2) Hot wash cold rinse cycle. I used All free and clear detergent (use about ½ the amount of detergent you would to do a load of clothing) and usually sprinkled a little baking soda in with it. I also used a Downey ball with distilled white vinegar.

–Many detergents are not recommended for cloth diapers. Even the detergents that are designed for babies, like deft are not recommended for diapers because of scents or chemicals used in them. Trader Joe’s on Sawmill Ln. Carries a natural detergent that would work well. We used All free and clear and it worked out fine, but I think now it is not on the list of suggested detergents.

–baking soda kills germs and odors. It is a base and will upset the ph balance of your diapers. Distilled white vinegar also kills germs and odors. It is acidic and will also upset the ph balance of you diapers. Using them together keeps the ph balance in check. An off ph balance will irritate the skin.

-Drying- we dried on a low setting. If you are using diapers with PUL, this will help them last longer. Some people hang their diapers to dry, we really didn’t have the space for that. Most diaper covers must be hung to dry.

-If your diapers do not seem to be absorbing as much you may have a buildup of detergent. Running them through a few hot washes without detergent should get rid of this.

Several months ago, I read somewhere that if you eat locally made honey, your allergies will diminish greatly. You see honey contains natural antibodies that fight off germs. The logic behind using local honey is that the antibodies are made from what is found locally in your environment. So, by eating locally made honey your body is more apt to conquer those allergy sniffles by developing it’s own antibodies from the ones in the honey. I’m not sure exactly how close the bee hive has to be to your home for this to work out, but I’m thinking as long as the plant life is similar to that around your domicile, your probably good.

Saying you want to eat locally produced honey is easy, finding locally developed golden goodness, is really a horse of a different color  here. If you are in Columbus, there is some available at Yutzy’s. They sell honey from Skidmore Apiaries (apiaries are bee yards, I had to look that one up) found in Rushsylvania, OH. And is it ever yummy! I try to get a good sized spoonful into my self and the kids each day. We drink it in our tea, add it to our oats, and use it instead of sugar in cooking. It’s really not hard throwing it into the mix.

Does it work? I think so. My older daughter has never had to much trouble with allergies. I definitely have had my fair share of miserableness from them. My younger daughter, well I’ve considered turning her into a girl in a bubble because of them. This past fall (usually a tough time for Anara and me) we skittered through almost allergy free.  I’ll have to let you know about the spring.

Fibro = fibrous tissues

my = muscles

algia = pain

Just a few years ago, most had never herd of fibromyalgia, today I would say many have at least herd of it, but few really know what it is. Heck, it’s been my experience that many people having fibromyalgia and the doctors treating them really don’t know what it is. Commonly it is known as a disease that causes fatigue and pain. This part is true, but it goes sooo much beyond that. Most doctors do not seem to know or understand all of possible symptoms or how to deal with them. To be diagnosed with fibromyalgia you generally have wide spread pain for at least 3 months and have sensitivity in 11 of the  18 points below.

Stiffness: This is generally at it’s worse when you first wake up or have been still for a while. It can also be made worse when temperatures are lower and humidity or barometric pressure is up.

Increased Headaches Or Facial Pain: temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is common among fibromyalgics along with frequent and/or persistent headaches. These pains can be caused or made worse with tightness in neck and shoulders.

Sleep Disturbances: Fatigue is generally present in all fibromyalgics. Even when fibromyalgia patients seem to spend plenty of time sleeping they may awake feeling very tired. Some will have a very difficult time falling asleep, suffer from insomnia, or frequently wake up multiple times while trying to sleep. Studies have shown that delta sleep is very difficult for a person with fibromyalgia to reach. This is the portion of sleep that is occurring when serotonin is produced.

Cognitive Disorders: There are many cognitive delays that can occur with fibromyalgia. These may or may not vary in frequency and sereneness.  They include an inability to concentrate, a sense of feeling and appearing spaced out,  memory lose or lapses, difficulty thinking of words/names, and becoming overwhelmed when presented with or attempting multiple tasks.

Gastrointestinal/Digestive Complaints: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms are common with fibromyalgia. These include digestive disturbances, abdominal pain, and bloating along with constipation and/or diarrhea. Difficulty swallowing, another common issue, has been linked abnormalities in smooth muscle functioning in the esophagus. Stomach ulcers or the feeling of stomach ulcers also seems to be common.

Genito-Urinary Problems: FM patients may experience increased frequency of urination or increased urgency to urinate, typically in the absence of a bladder infection. Some may develop a chronic, painful inflammatory condition of the bladder wall known as “interstitial cystitis” (IC). Women with FM may have more painful menstrual periods, irregular periods, or may experience a worsening of their FM symptoms during this time. Conditions such as vulvar vestibulitis or vulvodynia, characterized by a painful vulvar region and painful sexual intercourse, may also develop in women.

Paresthesia: Numbness or tingling, particularly in the hands or feet, arms, and legs sometimes accompany fibromyalgia. This is known as “paresthesia”, a sensation of prickling or burning.

Myofascial Trigger Points: A significant number of people with FM have a neuromuscular condition known as “myofascial pain syndrome (MPS)” in which very painful spots (trigger points) form in taut bands in muscles or other connective tissue, often as a result of repetitive motion injury, prolonged poor posture, or illness. Not only are these spots very painful but they also refer pain to other parts of the body in very predictable ways. Unlike FM which affects the entire body, MPS is a localized condition which occurs in very specific areas, typically the neck, shoulders, or lower back. TMJ is considered a form of MPS.

Chest Symptoms: Individuals with FM who engage in activities involving continuous, forward body posture (i.e., typing, sitting at a desk, working on an assembly line, etc.) often have special problems with chest and upper body (thoracic) pain and dysfunction. The pain may cause shallow breathing and postural problems. They may also develop a condition known as costochondralgia (also referred to as costochondritis) which causes muscle pain where the ribs meet the chest bone and is frequently mistaken for heart disease. Persons with FM are also prone to a largely asymptomatic heart condition known as mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in which one of the valves of the heart bulges during a heartbeat causing a click or murmur. MVP usually does not cause much concern unless another cardiac condition is also present. (Note: Anyone experiencing chest pain should immediately consult a physician.) also see disequilibrium for other heart systems

Disequilibrium: FM patients may be troubled by light-headedness and/or balance problems for a variety of reasons. Since fibromyalgia is thought to affect the skeletal tracking muscles of the eyes, “visual confusion” and nausea may be experienced when driving a car, reading a book, or otherwise tracking objects. (Difficulties with smooth muscles in the eye may also cause additional problems with focus.) Alternatively, weak muscles and/or trigger points in the neck or TMJ dysfunction may cause dizziness or disequilibrium. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center have also shown that some FM patients have a condition known as “neutrally mediated hypotension” which causes a drop in blood pressure and heart rate upon standing with resulting light-headedness, nausea, and difficulty thinking clearly. These symptoms could also be linked to sensitivities to certain foods and food additives.

Leg Sensations: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is also a common complaint. RLS involves a wiggly sensation in the legs and an irresistible urge to move the legs especially when at rest and lying down. The syndrome may also involve periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS).

Sensory Sensitivity/Allergic Symptoms: Hypersensitivity to light, sound, touch, and odors frequently occurs among those with FM and is thought to be a result of a hyperactive nervous system. In addition, persons with FM may feel chilled or cold when others around them are comfortable, or they may feel excessively warm. They may also have allergic-like reactions to a variety of substances accompanied by itching or a rash or a form of non-allergic rhinitis consisting of nasal congestion/discharge and sinus pain. However, when such symptoms occur, there is usually no measurable immune system response like that found in true allergies.

Skin Complaints: Nagging symptoms, such as itchy, dry, or blotchy skin, may accompany FM. Dryness of the eyes and mouth is also not uncommon. Hypersensitivity to light and touch is common on the skin.

Eyes: Hypersensitivity to light is common. Also dry, itchy, or watery eyes is common along with possible blurred vision..

Swelling: fibromyalgia patients may experience swelling, particularly in extremities (i.e., fingers). A common complaint is that a ring no longer fits. However, such swelling is not like the joint inflammation of arthritis; rather, it is a localized anomaly of FM of unknown cause.

Depression And Anxiety: FM patients are frequently misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders (“it’s all in your head”), research has repeatedly shown that fibromyalgia is not a form of depression or hypochondriasis. Although depression and/or anxiety can be associate with fibromyalgia flair ups or when focus is placed on possible future flair ups.

yeast and sugar: Other sources also tell us that those with fibromyalgia often produce up to 50 times the normal amount of yeast and do not process sugar properly. The over production of yeast can cause increased fatigue. Improper processing of sugar will appear like hypoglycemia and may or may not  show up as hypoglycemia during blood glucose testing. This can lead to diabetes if sugar is not properly monitored in diet. **note: do not use artificial sweeteners, they stimulate the NDMA pain sensors in the nervous system. Which according to WebMD is responsible for turning acute pain into chronic pain.** An explanation about yeast production in fibromyalgics can be found here.

I wish I would have saved all of the links where I obtained  information about fibromyalgia found on this website, but I gathered quite a bit of it before I started blogging. Here are a few of them: Non-drug Recovery From Fibromyalgia, freedom from Fibromyalgia, iHealthTube, NFA, nutrition talk, Dr. Golding on Fibromyalgia, Dr. Sugar on fibromyalgia, An Update on Fibromyalgia, FM Monograph

Also FMpartnership.org has put together a good definition and list of symptoms here on their site.

Did I leave anything out? If you know of something that you feel should be added to this post, please let me know by leaving a comment below or by emailing me.

Today was my amazing husband’s birthday.

Happy Birthday, Babe! I love you and hope we spend an uncountable number of birthdays celebrations together.

A very informative audio feed about fibromyalgia can be found here. The feed seems to have been designed to promote vitamins sold by a certain company. I’m not promoting the vitamins, I think you can get equally beneficial and much cheaper vitamins at your local market. The ones suggested on the feed would run between $200 and $300 a month. The ones I get at the grocery store go for around$20 to $40 a month, are similar to the vitamins being promoted in the link,  and work really well for me. At any rate, the feed is full of good information. Below are a few notes I gathered while I was listening. The vitamins I take can be found on this post.

-90% are female

-Criteria for being diagnosed with fibromyalgia include 1) having general pain, stiffness, and fatigue, 2) pain in all 4 quadrants of the body [quadrants are right side above waist, right side below waist, left side above waist, left side below waist] for 3 or more months, and 3) symptoms in multiple systemic systems [meaning you have problems with more than one body system ie stomach, eyes, muscles].

-70% to 90% of those with fibromyalgia experience the following: headaches, sleep disturbances, numbness or tingling, cognitive impairments [such as forgetfulness and an inability to organize thoughts]

-50% to 70% experience: Irritable Bowl Syndrome symptoms [cramping, constipation, or diarrhea, or a combination of these], increased menstrual cramping, dry mouth, irregular heart beat or racing heart beat, blurred vision

-15% to 50% experience: restless leg syndrome, skin irritations, night sweats

-due to low NK immune cell activity, fibromyalgics remain chronically ill.

-Average time from on set of fibromyalgia to diagnoses is 5 years.

-Fibromyalgics have low serotonin levels.

It’s really very simple what I do to take care of myself to alleveate my fibromyalgia. Infact I can sum it up in six words:

Gluten Free

Organic

Vitamins

Body Work

Gluten Free – I eat gluten free. Gluten is found in wheat and really upsets my fibromyalgia. There is a list of ingredients found in this post that gluten is fond in.

Organic – Try to be as green as possible. If the food you want comes in an organic version and you can afford it, buy it that way. I don’t eat foods with a lot of additives or preservatives in them. A list of things to avoid can be found here. Green up your cleaning stash, it will save you money and you will breath easier. Here is a post I wrote on about my cleaning supplies.

Vitamins- In December of 2009, I traded all of my prescriptions in for vitamins. Only do this with doctor’s supervision!!! I take 6 vitamins: B-complex, multivitamins, a calcium-magnesium-zinc tablet, fish oil, 5-htp, and valerian root. Here is the post I wrote about my vitamins if you would like to learn more.

Body Work- I love my chiropractor and massage therapists! My chiropractor has 4 in house massage therapist. The price of the massage is included in the cost of the office visit to the chiropractor and my insurance covers a certain number of visits each year. Even without insurance coverage,  I have found a chiropractic visit is generally much cheaper than one to a traditional doctor. I see Dr. Bob Mason for chiropractic and get massaged by Shirl and Andrea. I have also seen Dr. Chris Sickles at the same office. They are all fabulous.  Here is a link to their site, if you are in Columbus you should definitely schedule yourself a visit. I also try to get a little yoga in and other exercise keeping in mind that with fibromyalgia, don’t over do it.

With fibromyalgia there are a lot of things  I just can’t put into my body without suffering consequences. Even if you don’t have it, you should take a look at this list. I found this information here. Here is a list of food additives:

Safe

-ALGINATE
-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL (Vitamin E)
-ASCORBIC ACID
(Vitamin C)
-BETA-CAROTENE
-CALCIUM PROPIONATE
-CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE
-CARRAGEENAN
-CITRIC ACID
-DIACYLGLYCEROL
-EDTA
-ERYTHORBIC ACID
-FERROUS GLUCONATE
-FUMARIC ACID
-GELATIN
-GLYCERIN (Glycerol)
-GUMS:  Arabic, Furcelleran, Ghatti, Guar, Karaya, Locust Bean, Xanthan
-HIGH MALTOSE CORN SYRUP
-INULIN
-LACTIC ACID
-LECITHIN
-MALTODEXTRIN
-MONO- and DIGLYCERIDES
-NEOTAME
-OAT FIBER, WHEAT FIBER
-OLIGOFRUCTOSE
-PHOSPHATE SALTS
-PHOSPHORIC ACID
-PHYTOSTEROLS and PHYTOSTANOLS
-POLYSORBATE 60, 65, 80
-POTASSIUM SORBATE
-PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE
-SODIUM ASCORBATE
-SODIUM CARBOXY-METHYLCELLULOSE (CMC)
-SODIUM CITRATE
-SODIUM PROPIONATE
-SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE
-SORBIC ACID
-SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE
-STARCH and MODIFIED STARCH
-SUCRALOSE
-THIAMIN MONONITRATE
-TRIACETIN (GLYCEROL TRIACETATE)
-VANILLIN, ETHYL VANILLIN
-VEGETABLE OIL STEROL ESTERS

Avoid

-CAFFEINE
-DEXTROSE (CORN SUGAR, GLUCOSE)
-FRUCTOSE
-HYDROGENATATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE
-INVERT SUGAR
-LACTITOL
-MALTITOL
-MANNITOL
-POLYDEXTROSE
-SALATRIM
-SALT
-SUGAR
-TAGATOSE
-XYLITOL

Don’t Eat

-ACESULFAME POTASSIUM

-ARTIFICIAL COLORING:
BLUE 1, BLUE 2,GREEN 3, RED 3, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6
-ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORING

-ASPARTAME (Nutrasweet)
-BENZOIC ACID

-BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA)
-CARMINE

-CASEIN
-COCHINEAL

-CYCLAMATE
(not legal in U.S.)
-GUM TRAGACANTH

-HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
-HYDROGENATATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE

-HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL
-HVP (HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN)
-LACTOSE
-MSG (MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE)
-MYCOPROTEIN

-OLESTRA (Olean)
-PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL
-POTASSIUM BROMATE
-PROPYL GALLATE
-QUININE

-SACCHARIN

-SODIUM BENZOATE
-SODIUM BISULFITE
-SODIUM CASEINATE

-SODIUM NITRATE
-SODIUM NITRITE

-SORBITOL
-SULFITES

-SULFUR DIOXIDE

One way I have learned to deal with my fibromyalgia is by changing my cleaning products. This happened accidentally actually. Two summers ago Sania and I watched every episode of ‘Dr. Quinn, Medicine Women‘ It was one of those times when I found myself stuck in bed for a prolonged period. Well, running out of multi purpose cleaner one day got me thinking. What exactly did my great grandmother use to clean her house. I’ve herd it was so spotless, you could eat of f the floor. Not that she would have allowed that! The old methods were better for the environment and you don’t have to smell toxic chemicals while using them. This past year when researching fibromyalgia, I found many of these old fashion, organic cleaning methods are much better for those living with fibromyalgia (and I’m sure everyone else).

There isn’t much to making your own cleaning supplies. I get the kids to help make the supplies and I find it actually makes them want to use them! There are a thousand formulas out there, I keep mine simple. Here are a few of the products I use and the recipes I use them in.

Ingredients:

Grated Soap – I use dove white soap and grate it with a fine cheese grater. I would suggest picking up a used one at a thrift store for using with the soap. Dove seems to be the only soap I can use. Recipes I looked up called for castile soap (which is a natural organic soap). I found this had a sent I wasn’t found of, dried my skin, and left a film on dishes when used for dish soap. The dove works great though.

Borax – Found in the laundry isle

Washing Soda – Also found in the laundry isle

Baking soda – Found on baking isle or laundry isle

Lemon Juice – I use the kind in a bottle, but if you want to go more organic, squeezing it yourself is an option.

Rubbing Alcohol

Ammonia – One site listed this as organic, I’m not so sure on this though

Distilled White Vinegar

update: I have now added liquid castile soap to my cleaning stash, I can pick it up at Trader Joe’s grocery for about $8 for 32 oz.

Recipes:

Dish Soap – using an old dish soap container

-Grated Soap- Fill about 1/5 of your bottle with this

-Hot water- run hot tap water to almost the top of your bottle

-Lemon Juice – about ¼ cup

update on the dish soap: The above recipe worked great. However when I added liquid castile to our cupboard, I tried another recipe which also works great. squirt some of the liquid castile into your old dish soap bottle until it is about a 1/5 or 1/6 of the way full then fill the rest with water. Could this be more simple? This also worked great at cleaning dog vomit out of the carpet.

Dishwasher Detergent – only need a couple of spoonfuls

-1 part borax

-1 part washing soda

If dishes do not come out clean, add grated soap to the mix. It will depend on your water and dish washer

update: the above seemed to work great with the old dishwasher. It recently bit the dust and had to be replaced though. After a few times of using this recipe in the new dishwasher, I noticed a white film on the dishes. A couple of more load through the machine and they looked almost like frosted glass. What to do? I saw on Homestead Wannabes where she uses the above mixed with 1 part regular dishwasher detergent (she uses cascade, I grabbed some Trader Joe’s brand). This way there is no powdery residue on the dishes and not as much of the chemical stuff is needed. After running all the dishes through once (and some twice) with straight dish detergent to remove the built up film, I started doing the mixture and it works just fine.

Dishwasher – Use distilled white vinegar where the jet dry would go.

Laundry Detergent – I use about 1 to 2 tbsp per load, I have a small machine so you may need a little more

-1 cup borax

-1 cup washing soda

-1 bar grated soap

Fabric Softener – I pour distilled white vinegar into a Downy ball. I fill it to the same line you would with the detergent. If you add your fabric softener in a different way, I’m sure it would work that way also. I have also used the dryer balls or tennis balls in the dryer, things are not as static free and soft with the balls though.

For Whites – Instead of bleach use ammonia. It doesn’t bleach out the colors of your other clothing and your whites nearly sparkle. I read on one sight that ammonia is environmentally friendly, but I wouldn’t bank on that. It smells pretty toxic to me.

Baking  Soda – Use baking soda to absorb grease from clothing (just sprinkle on and let set). To scrub away stubborn stains. In your bath for really silky skin. In your laundry to eliminate foul odder on clothing (works great on urine  soiled clothing from potty training or using cloth diapers).

General Cleaner -

-1 part water

-1 part distilled white vinegar

This works in a spray bottle or in a small bucket for counters, tables, sinks, tubs, floors, ect. I keep a spray bottle for the kitchen and another for the bathroom with this in it. For my bathroom I add a little (about a spoonful) of rubbing alcohol so I can use the same cleaner on the tub and the mirror.

Glass/Window Cleaner – use in recycled spray bottle

-1 part water

- 1 part distilled white vinegar

- Spoonful of rubbing alcohol

Now I’m in search of good recipes for homemade shampoo and conditioner. Any suggestions?