This month....

Well that was quite a month. In fact that was one wet month. I lost count of the number of times I got soaked to the skin. And guess what? After a brief 24 hour respite, the 1st of May & it's raining. Again. Repeat the mantra "we need the rain, we need the rain" ..... Actually, gentle rain is quite cosy & absolves you from many things you should be doing. And listening to the slow pitter patter, the chirping of tiny birds foraging outside amongst the primmies & bluebells is extremely cute. But last night was truly something else!

So what's new & cooking? Well I am as it turns out - cooking that is. I'm a great believer in whatever works & without being a therapy butterfly I love the freedom of choice that complementary treatments give us over our health. If mainstream medicine works, great. If massage works, great. If essential oils or herbs work, great. If they don't though, it's good to keep an open mind.

Relaxation & diet play a pivotal role in health & last month I wrote about my kefir, kombucha & sourdough cultures. They are all rather acidic though & I thought I might end up simply pickling myself. A month later, however, I notice that a persistent infection on the sole of my foot, for which I've tried everything from lemon & tea tree essential oils & cider vinegar to various medicinal preparations without success, is starting to clear up & another skin problem has gone. Gums feel healthier & breath is fresher too. Can this be coincidence or is my body no longer providing such a welcoming environment for infections?

Acidity is said to be responsible for a number of health issues, with a 70% alkaline diet being recommended. Foods are acid or alkali to varying degrees although lists of each differ slightly depending on which source you consult. And some of them are unexpected. Lemons, for example, hugely acidic, are alkaline once we consume them. Bread, even sourdough, is acidic so no points there, but live yoghurt & kombucha are either classed as neutral or alkali forming, so maybe these improvements aren't so bizarre & I'm actually on the right track.

Back to the rain and the upside, the lovely fresh scent of flowers filling the air. It's all very soggy though so you can always improvise - create your own inner beach with your sunniest essential oils!