The Homemade Broth Cleanse I SWEAR by…

First things first… Let me start by saying that I am not a doctor, a physician or anyone who knows anything about anything medical related. Let’s get real, I am an interior designer. The girl who flinches when I see a drop of blood. ALWAYS consult with a physician before starting any type of cleanse or fasting. I am simply sharing my research, my experience and the pain relief I have found from this simple broth cleanse.

Okay, now that those big disclaimers are out of the way, let me tell you how excited I am about drinking vegetable broth. Hehe. To start from the very beginning and I promise I will make it very very short, in 2008 I was diagnosed with a bladder disease called IC (Interstitial Cystitis) now also known as Painful Bladder Disease. I was in so much pain at the time that I truly thought my life was over. I was depressed and devastated. It totally sucked. Excuse my language. That’s about the best language I can use for a disease that can literally rule your life. Just to share a small detail let me say that I have not had a lemon or anything containing lemons in almost ten years and I sleep on a heating pad every single night. From pain to dietary limitations, it can be pretty life consuming at times. It’s a disease that has no known cause and no known cure. There are medications you can take but you guys probably know how I feel about that by now.

Here’s where I will give you all ONE more disclaimer… I am about to share lots of what I THINK and not what I KNOW. I have researched interstitial cystitis A LOT. I have also tried A LOT of things. All of which is natural. Some have worked and some have not. Although I have some level of pain every single day, the pain ranges from an annoying dull ache to a severe stabbing pain to something that literally feels like someone is slicing me open with scissors. Sorry for the TMI. You guys know that I can get brutally honest. So… I am fairly certain that I basically go in and out of remission. From the dull ache being “in remission” to the more severe pains being “flare-ups”. That’s what I call it at least. So let me share what I have found puts me in remission…

Now here’s where I am going to get really crazy on you and share a lot more of what I THINK… I truly think that LOTS of diseases and pain and medial issues are directly related to an overgrowth of yeast and sugar in your body. Overgrowth that causes infections. Which seems to be a lot more common in women than men. I believe that this overgrowth can cause a wide array of problems way beyond IC (Interstitial Cystitis). Possibly even some autoimmune diseases. At least this is what I personally truly believe. Because I also believe that IC is in some way, shape or form related to an autoimmune disease. Whew! Just trying really hard to explain and help those interested in trying some of my methods without trying to offend anyone.

What I have found over the years is that my pain is DIRECTLY related to how much sugar and yeast I consume. When I cut back enough and for long enough AND pair that good eating with several supplements I swear by, I can put myself into remission. As I shared in September, I finally decided to not just cut back but to totally “quit” sugar, gluten and dairy for four weeks. You can READ MORE ABOUT THAT HERE. I planned on doing it for much longer but ya know… life happens. Well, for me stress happens. But let me tell you that I can with 110% honesty say that I became completely pain free for several days over those four weeks. Something that has not even remotely happened to me in the ten years I have struggled with IC. Mark said he could just tell how much better I felt without me even saying a word. But yes, life happened and I started to eat normal again. My normal isn’t terrible but I do love me some sugar from time to time. So then Thanksgiving hit. And I went from normal to horrible. I ate terrible and had one too many glasses of wine. Because I had been feeling AMAZING. Well let me tell you that I paid for it. The Saturday evening after Thanksgiving, I literally doubled over on the sofa at our cabin in pain. And it was a new pain. A much more severe pinching, stinging pain that did not let up for even a second for five straight days. I cried more in those five days than I have in a long time. I took probably 20 baths because soaking in epsom salt and baking soda was the only thing that helped. By mid-week I even went to the doctor to see if I actually had a UTI for what would have been the first time in ten years. Because you see with IC, you feel like you have one all of the time so you never know when to get checked. But I did not. And I cried again. Because at least that would have been an answer. SO I got desperate and once again researched a natural way to help my pain for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS. And what I found once again was more confirmation of what I have thought for years. I also started to find success stories from those who did intense candida (sugar overgrowth) cleanses. I knew what would help over the course of time but I wanted something that had the possibility of working FAST. I then took several ideas from other broth cleanses and created my own based around what I can eat/drink with my bladder disease. All of these ingredients are strong anti-fungals and anti-inflammatories.

And last Friday I began a two-day cleanse. I made this broth each morning and had all 8-10 cups each day along with lots of water. And that was all. I kid you not that I went from being absolutely miserable that morning to feeling GREAT that afternoon. Mark literally came who and was like “who are you?!?” Day two was definitely more difficult given that my hunger was intense but I felt the positive effects so strongly that I continued on. I can truly say that NOTHING has made my pain ease up as quickly as this cleanse. I not only felt great from my bladder pain but also great overall. I have more energy and feel like my head is more clear as well. It also doesn’t hurt that I lost several pounds in the two days as well.

As I said before, consult a physician before starting any type of cleanse or fast. Make sure you can lay low during the one to two days and that you drink plenty of water. So here is my broth recipe…

Homemade Broth Cleanse

2-3 Cups Raw Organic Kale (Chopped)

2 Organic Onions (Chopped)

6-8 Celery Stalks

1 Head of Garlic (Separated into Cloves)

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Place ingredients into 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour…

Strain and discard the vegetables. Enjoy 8-10 cups per day for 1-2 days…

Last Friday I also added to my regimen of supplements. Some of these below I have been taking for a while but some are newer to my regimen. I can honestly say that I feel better than I ever have before from my IC and that says A LOT. I truly swear by taking care of your body from the inside out.