Chicken Pox to Author
There are some experiences in life that spur a person to make positive changes. One such experience for me came in the form of Chicken Pox. At the ripe age of 36, I was struck down with a severe case which had me holed up at home for a month and feeling truly miserable.
For anyone who is familiar with this nasty occurrence, you will know that Chicken Pox requires one to put a halt on normal life; the body craves rest and the aesthetic side of this virus can be truly disturbing with the body being covered head to toe in itchy, inflamed lumps which cannot be scratched for fear of scarring.
My incubation had me at my wits end at times. I spent a lot of time thinking about how quickly a person's life can change and the affect this has on our mental state. It meant that I started to see things through different eyes and recognised how incredibly important our health is. Unfortunately, it can take a life altering experience for us to truly take stock of what is important and to feel grateful for what we have when we have it. Health is not to be taken for granted.
I was astounded to discover that my saving grace came in the form of porridge oats! I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that food nurture's us not only on the inside but on the outside too.
Each day I sought solace in a Porridge Oat & Bicarbonate of Soda bath! I hope you will never need to but if you or a loved one is suffering, here's how to soothe the body -
Put three large handfuls of Porridge Oats in a muslin or clean tea towel, secure with an elastic band and hang under the bath tap, allowing the water to run over it while you fill the bath adding two teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. Once in the bath, you can use the Porridge Oats as a gentle sponge on the skin. The oats release a soothing and calming liquid when you squeeze them through the muslin or tea towel and is a great for relief from the itching and inflammation. It's also makes for a wonderful face mask especially when your face is covered in spots!
For added relief, make a cup of camomile tea and leave to cool. Place a muslin in the cup, squeeze out and lay over your face, its magic!
Smoothies also played a big role in my healing. My morning juice consisted of either a Green Smoothie loaded with Cucumber, Melon, Apple Juice, Frozen Mango, Banana and Coriander or Berry Smoothie packed with Fresh Berries, Frozen Mango, Banana and Almond Milk.
This episode also spurred me on to finally write My Relationship with Food. I recognised more than ever, just how important a part food plays in our lives. It is not only a pleasure sensation of the mouth, an excuse to gather with friends and family, a way to get our hands dirty and create masterpieces in our own kitchen, but as importantly, food can be life saving. My love of food just took on a whole new level!
My cookbook is filled with a hundred recipes that nurture mind, body and soul and it showed me that in every dark period of life, something wonderful can be born and in this case it was my beloved cookbook which I hope goes on to help, nourish and heal all who read it!
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