Clutter too
I was wondering this morning how I managed to get rid of 56% of the stuff in my house when I’d been through two major (MAJOR!!!) purges in the past 14 months. The conclusion I came to is that I finally figured out a few things:
1) who I am
2) where I’m going
3) what I’ll need along the way
Giving up wheat and removing meat from my home released a lot of unnecessary items from my kitchen. And narrowing down my interests to those I am truly passionate about released items from other rooms. But my desk — where the vast majority of items were removed — found release from knowing who I am.
Finding out who I am came slowly, probably due to the autism thing. But the more I get to know God, the more I see why He made me, and how much better my life will be when my values completely align with His.
I’ve had to fight for health ever since I can remember
And it has eluded me in many ways. I have been told “It’s probably MS.” so many times that I finally forced the issue and demanded an official diagnosis. What I went through with that fiasco would make a great book. Mystery, suspense, near-death experiences, everyone making mistakes, and somehow surviving to tell about it. It turned me off from doctors for a long time.
At some point along this journey I realized vitamin and mineral supplements were doing more harm than good. So I quit.
Health has become a passion of mine
And just finding that passion has released a lot of clutter from my house. I don’t need things that create ill health. I don’t need things to keep me alive while I eat badly. And I no longer need those hundreds of pages of instructions to extract myself from whatever health problem I had gotten into this time.
Emotional baggage is clutter too
Forgiveness is priceless. Knowing that someone refused to forgive me for something I did is one of the worst hurts I’ve ever endured. But I played into that person’s desires to make me squirm until I forgave them for not forgiving me.
Forgiveness leads to less clutter in my head.
Getting rid of the excesses in my life…
Most of my life I’ve eaten excessively – foods or drinks that were bad for me. Those had to be removed from my house until I was strong enough to refuse them. I needed to be able to relax in my own house and not have all those temptations around me. And once I found better health I didn’t want them anymore.
Getting rid of so much stuff from my house means I don’t have to take care of (steward) all the stuff that’s gone, but I also don’t have to clean it or clean around it!
The bottom line
The change I appreciated the most in the Clutterfat Challenge:
The view.
My entire house is pleasant to look at, with only a few exceptions that need more work. I love the look of wood floors with sunlight streaming in. And the thick knotty pine paneling in my den and kitchen.
And now I appreciate the stuff I do have.
(Thanks to D&T for allowing me to photograph the sunlight coming in from their awesome, snowy deck.)
Clutter 1
I recently participated in The Clutterfat Challenge, where I agreed to go through all of my “stuff” over a 30 day period and attempt to get rid of what wasn’t needed or wanted anymore.
William Morris – “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
They expected 50% of everyone’s stuff to accept the label of “clutter” and be moved out.
I, being special, hoped for considerably less.
Why am I so special? Because I’ve worked as a professional organizer for over two decades, because I just went through two major purges of clutter in the last 14 months, and because I like to think I keep a pretty sparse home anyway.
Pride goeth before the fall.
I counted all of my stuff to begin the challenge. I came up with 8748, but I guestimated the contents of my file drawers due to the overwhelming amount of stuff. I figured purging the file drawers would take the most out of my house, but I had no idea as to what awaited me during this thirty day challenge.
What does this have to do with restoring health through understanding — the LeftLemon.com motto — you might ask?
“When you find an excess, something is wrong.”
Trust me, I will tie this together…
I began this journey according to the directions, by downloading the three page worksheet, and walking into the bathroom to begin counting every object in there. I opened the first drawer and realized I wanted to get rid of about half the stuff in that drawer right now! No — I couldn’t! I had to count them.
To say I was angry, depressed, overwhelmed, and maybe even a bit furious during the two days it took me to count all the stuff in my house doesn’t quite describe the emotion I felt. It was horrible. But it was a huge learning experience.
The final statistics
My beginning total: 8748
My ending total: 3841
I got rid of 4907 ite
ms.
Percentage of stuff exited from my house: 56%.
Analysis, in case you’re interested:
Place where the most items were eliminated: my desk at 3580 less items, 71% less stuff.
Place that surprised me the most: kitchen at 621 less items, 43% less stuff.
Place that was the most fun: my closets and drawers — 321 less items, 60% less.
Place with the least clutterfat: the living room.
The hardest part: counting.
How did I get rid of 621 items from my kitchen?
By getting rid of items I would never need now that I’ve committed to a healthy lifestyle.
How about you? Where are the excesses in your life? What could you stand to get rid of? Would it bring you more peace and contentedness? Would it bring you better health?
Figure Eights
Cranio Sacral rhythm is a natural movement of the body that was first written about in the late 1800s. This knowledge has been used ever since then as a mode of treatment for just about everything. Anyone can do a simple version of the movement on ourselves or on others without fear of harming anything.
What we’re talking about here is a figure eight.
Do one with your wrist, or your ankle, or your elbow. Stand up and do one with your right hip or your shoulders or your head. Sit on an exercise ball and rotate your pelvis in a figure eight motion. Do this gently, don’t jerk, and keep it slow. Try to get a feel for the natural rhythm your body is already doing and assist it. Don’t ever push yourself into a movement your body doesn’t want to do.
It’s an excellent way to encourage flexibility or healing.
A lot of people who work with handicapped children use this method to encourage natural movement and healing. Massage therapists and other people who do body work use this. The way they do it is to get in touch with the body’s natural rhythm, and then gently move parts of you along with that rhythm to encourage complete the figure eights.
CranioSacral means the movement is primarily between the cranium (the skull) and the sacrum (the tail bone). But it happens throughout the body. Many people, when learning to tune into the rhythm on others, find themselves swaying to the other person’s rhythm as if they’re hearing music.
So a good way to encourage your own craniosacral rhythm is to allow your body to sway however it would like to. Gently, slowly, not forcing anything.
Dancing has a lot of figure eights.
Especially belly dancing and the hula.
If a part of your body can’t be moved on its own naturally, such as your toe, use your hand to move the toe in a figure eight. Gently, slowly.
Some people respond immediately, some people take longer. Give it a try –
You’ll see a lot of figure eights if you watch for them…
Watch a horse roll on the grass. 
Watch a baby play with his hands.
Watch a dog wag her tail.
Watch a cat stretch.
You’ll find it.
4C’s problems
When you are having 4C problems, you have a lot of problems. It’s usually not just one thing, but a combination of long-term abuse. And you’ve probably done it to yourself.
If you don’t have a clue as to what a 4C problem is, please read the Left Lemon System page.
Typical 4C situation:
- Most of your problem areas are on both sides of your body or midline (the red areas on the stickman chart)
- Your body type is plum-shaped — big gut, skinny arms and legs, round face
- You don’t eat enough dark green leafy veggies or bright red natural veggies and fruits
- You crave coffee, chocolate, tea, or other brown things and stimulants
- Your eating isn’t balanced according to 30/30/40
- You have blood pressure issues
- You have anxiety and lethargy — alternating between being really tired and really busy or anxious
- You can’t focus on much of anything
- You’re low in essential minerals and high in toxic metals
- You tend to be swollen a lot
- You tend to get kidney stones
To get out of this trap:
- Get rid of stimulants and tannins (cinnamon, caffeine, coffee, colas, dark brown nuts and seeds, chocolate, tobacco)
- Eat your greens — marinated is easier to digest
- Also eat dark red pigmented foods — red bell peppers, berries, cranberries, cayenne, beets, raw tomatoes, paprika
- Avoid artificial colors and dyes — in candy, chewing gum, drinks, processed foods
- Deal with your emotional issues by forgiving
Conscious Forgiveness
So how do you forgive someone?
You need forgiveness too.
You’ll be amazed how much easier life will be when you get into the habit of forgiving.
LO Problems
LO problems are simply a lack of good oils.
Maybe your entire fat and oil intake come from fried foods. Or maybe you use olive oil a lot but you cook it. Or maybe you’re trying to lose weight by not eating fat.
LO problems reveal: your body needs good oils.
If you don’t know what LO means, please read Left Lemon System first.
Typical LO situation:
- Most of your problems of pain, weakness, or other complaints are in the green section of Stickman
- Your body type is apple-shaped — you have a rounded chest and shoulders with a narrow pelvis
- You don’t digest oils well or you don’t get enough of the good ones
- You crave simple carbs like pasta and baked goods
- Your eating isn’t balanced according to 30/30/40
- You feel the need for an afternoon nap
- You suffer from depression or fatigue
- You’re low in essential minerals and high in toxic metals
- You frequently have swelling and inflammation
- You tend to get gall stones
- You have cholesterol issues
To get out of this trap:
- Add fresh lemon and good oils to your diet
- Don’t cook with olive oil, put it onto your food after it’s cooked
- Eat avocado, olives, and fatty fish for extra good oils
- Avoid fried foods and hydrogenated oils
- Eat marinated greens frequently
- Eat foods high in calcium: nuts and seeds, dark green veggies, sesame seeds
- Avoid calcium supplements
- Don’t depend on dairy products for calcium — they are highly processed, especially “ultra pasteurized”
The solution for LO people is to add good oils to every meal and clean up your diet
I make a small jar of equal amounts of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and olive oil and keep it on my kitchen counter. Just shake it up and pour some over your meal.
Your liver’s ability to make hormones depends on getting oils into your body. If you think you’re aging too quickly, your liver needs help with good oils. If your skin is having problems, you need more oils.
60% of your brain is made of fat. Wonder why a low-fat diet makes you feel bad? That’s why. And most of the fats in your brain are from something called DHA. DHA can be converted in your body from ALA, but if you’re still eating sugar it could have a hard time doing it.
ALA is found in dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and other veggies. If you’re eating Balanced meals, and using the Left Lemon System to troubleshoot, you’ll be getting plenty.
DHA and ALA aren’t in olive oil, but they are in fish. Fatty fish — salmon, herring, and sardines. Two servings weekly are enough to keep you in good health, but if you’re deficient, you might want to double up for a few weeks.
Think about this: if 60% of your brain is fat and you haven’t been eating right, maybe some of your brain functioning problems could be solved by opening a tin of sardines once a week. Lack of good oils have been linked to depression, memory loss, psychosis, Alzheimer’s, and bi-polar disorder.
Read The Skinny on Oils for more information on which oils to use.
LL Problems
LL problems center on protein digestion.
You could be overeating proteins and not have enough digestive enzymes to digest them.
Or you could be eating junk proteins and overly processed foods that don’t get digested.
The main way to remedy this is to use lemon juice liberally until you get your meals balanced and your body catches up with protein digestion.
If you don’t know what LL means, please read Left Lemon System first.
Typical LL situation:
- Most of your problems of pain, weakness, or other complaints are in the yellow section of Stickman
- Your body type is pear-shaped — you carry excess weight in the thighs and lower torso, or the lower part of your face
- You don’t digest proteins well so you frequently have food allergies
- You crave milk and cheese (dairy products) or ice cream
- Your eating isn’t balanced according to 30/30/40
- You frequently don’t sleep through the night
- You are irritable and sleepy during the day
- You’re low in essential minerals and high in toxic metals
- You get nose bleeds or other bleeding easily
- You tend to get stomach and intestinal ulcers
- Most of your pain is in your pelvis and legs
To get out of this trap:
- Add lemon to your diet, and to your drinking water
- Don’t drink with meals unless it’s lemon juice
- Avoid tannins — those brown foods that are so enticing: chocolate, coffee, tea, tobacco, colas
- Eat marinated greens with red veggies added
- Use red vinegar (umeboshi is yummy)
- Eat foods high in zinc: sesame and pumpkin seeds, red muscle meats, garlic
- Avoid copper jewelry or kitchenware
- Don’t use creams on your skin that include zinc
The main problem with LL people is that they crave proteins so they eat more.
But the more they eat, the less they digest, making it all worse. You have to consciously choose to eat less protein at every meal, even decreasing the percentage from 30%, until your body can catch up.
And every time you crave protein, drink lemon juice instead to help you digest the protein you’ve already eaten.
It’s also a good thing to deal with parasites. They are protein (animals) and when you’re trying to digest them as well as what you’re eating it can be a losing battle. They are most active during the full moon phase, so it’s best to treat them during the week surrounding the full moon.
The zinc/copper thing is tricky — many of the same foods that are high in copper (which you need less of) are also high in zinc. Any time you add a non-food version of either, you easily make things worse. Like using a zinc ointment or sunscreen on your skin. Or wearing copper jewelry. Or using a copper cup because ice cold milk tastes fabulous in it! Or taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement that has both included but they work against each other so which one is your body going to use and which will it try to eliminate?
Energy Cycles
A lot of people have solved pesky problems by using the Energy Cycle chart. You wake up at 3:00 in the morning sweating or with pain somewhere and you’re too groggy to wonder why. But then it keeps happening.
You body is trying to tell you there is something wrong.
You can fix it.
Ancient Chinese practitioners of traditional medicine mapped out the subtle energy pathways flowing through our bodies. They found 12 pathways related to 12 organ systems, and they correspond to twelve two-hour periods each day when these systems are most active. Points along these pathways are used as acupuncture or acupressure points.
For two hours in each 24 hour day, one pathway (called a meridian) with its organ system dominates the body physically and emotionally. Using the energy chart can help to explain why certain symptoms get worse at certain times each day.
For instance, lets say it’s 3:00 in the afternoon and you start feeling anxious. There is too much to be done before the end of the work day, none of it is coming together, you are irritable and just want to escape. But you can’t because you have to get all this stuff done!
According to the chart, 3 until 5 in the afternoons is when your bladder does its thing. The emotion you feel when it’s having problems is irritation, and you can do simple tests to see whether you need more lemon or lemon and oil in your diet to fix this.
You can poke your belly to see which quadrant has tightness or pain. Or you can do leg lifts to see which system is in need of help. Instructions for both of these can be found on the Left Lemon System page. Then you can deliberately add more lemon if the results show LL is the problem, or lemon and oil if LO is the culprit.
If you don’t know what LL and LO mean, read about it on the Left Lemon System.
Of course Balance is the key here.
If you balance every meal with 30% protein, 30% good oils, and 40% high quality carbs you won’t run into these problems.
The chart gives basic information about each meridian — the times they are the most active, the organ or systems they are linked to, and the emotions most often associated with them. This information has been used for healing for centuries.
You can also look at the emotion column to see if what you’re feeling is related to the hour of the day. If so, remedy according to the chart.
Knowledge of these cycles can help you determine the best times to eat, sleep, and exercise. You should be hottest between 7:00 and 9:00 each evening. Being too cold or too hot means there’s a problem. Too cold might mean you have low blood sugar, too hot might be high blood sugar.
It’s between 5 and 7 in the evening and my main emotion is fear — fear that if I put the chart inside this post it won’t translate via email, RSS, or onto facebook. So I’ll put it in but still give you the link so you can print a copy for yourself: Energy Cycle Chart
Energy Cycle Chart
|
Time |
Organ/Gland |
Emotion |
Commentary |
| 5-7 am | Large Intestine | Guilt | Drinking Water Triggers bowel movement making room for the new day’s nutritional intake. Removes toxins from night’s cleansing. LO |
| 7-9 am | Stomach | Disgust | Stomach energies are the highest, so eat the most important meal of the day here to optimize digestion/assimilation. LL |
| 9-11 am | Pancreas / Spleen | Jealousy/Worry/Low Self Esteem | The stomach passes its contents on. Enzymes from the pancreas continue the digestive process. Carbohydrate energy made available. LL |
| 11 am – 1 pm | Heart | Joy | Food material enters the blood stream. The heart pumps nutrients throughout the system and takes its lipid requirements. Cayenne, calcium. 4C’s |
| 1-3 pm | Small Intestine | Insecurity, Vulnerable/Gullible | Foods requiring longer digestion times (proteins) complete their digestion/assimilation. Look for pain or tightness* to determine whether LL or LO. |
| 3-5 pm | Bladder | Irritation | Metabolic wastes from morning’s nutrition intake clear, making room for the kidneys filtration. Look for pain or tightness* to determine whether LL or LO. |
| 5-7 pm | Kidney | Fear | Blood is filtered (decides what to keep, what to throw away), maintains proper chemical balance of blood based on nutritional intake of day. Blood delivers useable nutrients to all tissues. 4C’s |
| 7-9 pm | Pericardium Circulation | Unresponsive, Hurt/Extreme Joy | Nutrients are carried to groups of cells (capillaries) and to each individual cell (lymphatics). LO |
| 9-11 pm | Triple Warmer | Hopelessness, Confusion/Paranoia | The endocrine system adjusts the homeostasis of the body based on electrolyte and enzyme replenishment. 4C’s |
| 11 pm – 1 am | Gall Bladder | Bitterness, Resentment | Initial cleansing of all tissues and processes. Cholesterol enhances brain function. LO |
| 1-3 am | Liver | Anger / Frustration | Cleansing of blood. Processing wastes. LO |
| 3-5 am | Lungs | Grief | Respiration. Oxygenation. Expulsion of waste gasses. 4C’s |
* Pain or tightness in neck – left side would mean LL, right side would be LO.
Pain or tightness in back – left side would mean LO, right side would be LL.
Use Left Lemon System to determine any other pain.
Study: Sue’s Skin
Sue wrote in to ask about her skin problems:
“My skin all over is very dry and extremely sensitive,
to the point of being almost painful at times… I sleep with a humidifier to help, wash my face with C*****, use A***** sensitive skin body wash, and moisturize like crazy with either C**** or C****** moisturizer. I do know that it is related to good fats in my diet, since it gets a little better when my oil and avocado intake are where they should be. ”
“Right now, my face is red and irritated, and broken out here and there all over in patches from eczema.”
I get peeling scaly patches, but also get clear fluid filled bumps that tend to be painful – they will scab over. Looks terrible… I try to only wear makeup (C****** for my sensitive skin) when I absolutely have to…. to cover my dark circles under my eyes.”
My first question was about where her skin was the worst. It was fairly balanced side to side except the right side of her forehead.
Going down the Left Lemon System page, the right forehead is LL.
The dark circles are 4C’s, and eczema is LL. Sue is an LL situation with too much stress added. Therefore we can predict her body type to be pear shaped.
Muscle testing has revealed a sensitivity to proteins and a recent class she took revealed just how badly she had been overeating proteins. Keeping a diet diary really helped Sue to see what she was doing wrong. Overeating proteins means they don’t get digested, so they float around causing problems. And the less they’re digested, the more you crave them. She’s been suffering in this cycle for years.
If she were to poke her belly, the area around the heart and appendix would be tender.
Her symptoms seemed to be worse all afternoon, which would give her two time periods for LL and one for 4C’s. I suspect mornings would be the second choice because that’s when the stomach, which is overburdened by excess proteins, would have the hardest time.
My first suggestion was to go cold turkey…
No soap, no colored towels or washcloths, no makeup, no moisturizer, no shampoo, no conditioner, no body wash. Plain water is allowed. White 100% cotton towels to pat dry. Just let the skin breathe. Help remove the clutter of chemical application with daily masks of food or clay.
Then I went through the ingredients lists with Sue. Everything she was using on her face had harsh chemicals, glycerine, alcohol, or mineral oil. The “sensitive skin” moisturizer she was using had three coloring agents.
