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This is a smoothie perfect to drink during autumn and winter- it can be drank room temperature or slightly warmed up as it contains those lovely warming spices, like ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Plus it's filled with vitamins minerals, good dose of fibre and good fat- and very soothing for the gut. Pumpkin spice smoothie Ingredients 1 1/2 cup of almond milk (make sure it contains only almond paste, water and sea salt. I buy this one in Estonia.) 1/2 cup of coconut milk 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (I made a bigger batch of oven baked pumpkins the other evenings and using it for different recipes) 3 Medjool dates, pitted (I buy these ones in Estonia) 1/4 cup of hemp hearts (leave a little bit for serving). I buy these in Estonia. 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (leave a little bit for serving) 1/4 tsp of ginger 1/4 tsp of cardamom pinch of clove powder (I use coffee grinder to grind clove) pinch of grated nutmeg 1tsp of vanilla extract 1 tbsp of collagen powder (optional, but a good way to get protein in) Instructions Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. You can then serve it as is from the glass and topped with cinnamon and hemp seeds or warm it up to your preferred temperature. Enjoy!

Pancakes have been our family Sunday morning tradition as long as I can remember. And over the years of my life we have really had different recipes from sour milk small fluffy pancakes that our mother and grandmother used to make, to thin big crepes. Kids enjoy still the big crepe pancakes the most we actually make two types of pancakes on Sunday morning. Since I went gluten-free in 2017, we also introduced gluten-free banana pancakes to our Sunday breakfast menu. I don't follow really any recipe when making banana pancakes as I used different gluten free flours, like almond flour, coconut flour, pumpkin seed flour, cassava flour, gluten-free oats flour- depending what we have available in the house. And most of the times I mix different flours together to increase the nutritional value of the pancakes. Almond flour is nutritious, containing 7g of protein, 15g of fat, 5g of carbs, 3 grams of fibre (in 1 1/4 cup serving) as well as iron, manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, calcium. Cassava flour (1/4 cup) contains, 31g of carbs, 2 g of fibre, 0 g of fat, 0g of protein, potassium, calcium- it's nutritionally relatively low, but contains resistant starch, which is fermented in the large intestine (food (prebiotic) for your gut bacteria and may improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Coconut flour is made from coconut flesh that has been dried and ground. It has high nutritional value, where 1/4 of a cup contains 10g of fibre, 18g of carbs, 6g of protein, 3 g of fat, 6 g of sugar, iron and potassium. Pumpkin seed flour contains in a 1/4 a cup, 7g of carbs, 12g of protein, 1g of fat, zinc and iron. Below is a banana pancake recipe from today's breakfast, which we enjoyed today and will be able to also have for breakfast tomorrow. Easy and healthy banana pancakes For 4-6 persons Ingredients 5 eggs 2 bananas (I buy bananas when they are still slightly green at the ends, yellow in the middle, as then they are richer in resistant starch) 1 cup of goat's milk yoghurt (you can use also Greek yoghurt) 1/4 of a cup almond flour 1/4 of a cup coconut flour 1/4 of a cup pumpkin seed flour 1/6 of a cup cassava flour 1/2 tsp of Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp of baking powder 3 tbsp of liquid coconut oil or melted butter For serving: You can use really different options from berries and fruits. We like to use wild blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and sometime mango. We also use almond butter, cocoa nibs, bee pollen, sometimes hemp seeds. For kids we also have an ecological hazelnut chocolate cream, maple syrup and they sometimes use cinnamon-raw cane sugar mix with a squeeze of lemon juice. Instructions We put all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend a minute or so. We mix the melted butter or coconut oil (melted) into the batter and we don't use any additional fat on the pan- makes it easier and hassle free to bake the pancakes. We do have a pancake pan and a normal pan for frying, so frying is mostly shared between myself and my husband at the same time. Now and again kids take the frying over, but they often tend to sleep long on Sundays. We also watch watch a cooking show like Iron Chef at Netflix, while frying the pancakes, to get some inspiration and our mouths watering for breakfast ;). Enjoy!

As I wrote in my previous post 'Which essential oils are calming and soothing for your body?' essential oils are divided into different groups, depending on their effect on the mind and body. If you are looking for essential oils that have grounding, balancing and renewing properties, then you should look at using any of the below (but not limited to only these). There are definitely many ways to blend essential oils, but will come back to it in the future post. Cedarwood Helps to ease tension, clear your mind and relax the body- so great to use at the end of intense working day or week. Enhances also concentration. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops. You can also add other woody essential oil like Cypress or Clary Sage. For topical use mix 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into tense areas in need on your body. Caution: Avoid using during pregnancy and breastfeeding Rosemary Improves focus and alertness, also aids with memory and concentration. Supports cognitive performance For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops. You can also inhale straight from the bottle if you want to get a quick brain boost. For topical use dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into your body. You can also take a bath, where you add Epsom salts along with 2 drops of Rosemary and 2 drops of Frankincense. Caution: Avoid using during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also if you are being treated for high blood pressure, bleeding disorders or epilepsy. Sandalwood Sandalwood is known to treat both physical and mental issues, including anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia, fatigue, liver problems, gallbladder problems, sore throat, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, diarrhoea, indigestion, low libido. It's often used also in spiritual practices as it maintains alertness and focus during meditation. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops. For topical use dilute 1-2 drops with carrier oil of your choice. But please be weary as it is an intense oil. You can also add couple of drops to bath water for calming your mind and body. Caution: Sandalwood is safe when used for aromatherapy and occasional topical use. It can cause allergy in some people and prolonged excessive exposure to sandalwood fragrance can trigger high heart rate and blood pressure. Avoid using during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also if you are being treated for bleeding disorders or epilepsy. Thyme The terpenes that are found in thyme essential oil– thymol, carvacrol, cineol, linalool, camphor, and borneol - are known to have a wide variety of health benefits. When inhaling thyme essential oil or applying topically with carrier oil, it can help to lower your stress levels, balance hormones and improves overall energy. It boosts memory and increases concentration. It's antibacterial and can therefore used for coughs and respiratory infections. People, who have atopic dermatitis (eczema), this particular oil can relieve the symptoms (do not use it to treat eczema on kids). Thyme oil provide a purifying and cleansing effect on the skin and helps to heal surgical scars, acne, measles and sores. It can also help with hair loss, when massaged with a carrier oil into the scalp and also encourages new hair growth. Thyme oil is also a great mosquito repellent. The oil can be taken internally to support the immune system and can be added to food for flavour. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops to increase blood circulation. For topical use dilute 1-2 drops with carrier oil and rub on your abdomen to relieve menstrual cramps. But please be weary as it is an intense oil. You can also add couple of drops to bath water for calming your mind and body. You can also add it to warm bath water or into hot water for steam inhalation. Safety and Caution: Dilute with carrier oil prior to topical application. If you are being treated for a blood-clotting disorder, then avoid this essential oil. Juniper Berry Grounds both the mind and the body, plus alleviates feelings of overwhelm and supports mind with focusing. Also helps with kidney and urinary tract healthy function. For aromatic use, diffuse 3-4 drops. Add couple of drops of Bergamot if you want to uplift your emotions. For topical use, dilute 1-2 drops with carrier oil, and massage on the tense muscles on your body. You can also then deeply inhale from your palms to get additional benefit. Vetiver Supports concentration and helps with mental performance. Helps to calm intense emotions and supports with immune system. For aromatic use, diffuse 3-4 drops. For topical use, dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into your body and good to also rub underneath your feet before bedtime.

Essential oils are typically classified into different groups depending on their effects on the body- they can be calming and soothing; grounding and balancing; or uplifting and energising. If you are looking to use essential oils on those days or times of the day, where you really need something that calms your nervous system, then below are several options to choose from (but not limited to those) depending on your preference for smell. Lavender This is one of my favourite essential oils. It instills overall sense of calm, eases any feelings of anxiety, stress and tension in your body. It also supports good night sleep. For aromatic use, add 3-4 drops to your diffuser or couple of drops to your bed-sheets before bedtime. You can also inhale it directly from the bottle. For topical use, dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into any tense area on your body. For restful night's sleep rub underneath your feet as our feet are key absorption points on your body. You can also take a warm bath and add 3-4 drops of lavender oil along with half a cup of Epsom salts into the water. Geranium It has calming effect on nerves and soothes your mind and body from stress. You can use it both topically by mixing 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into your body. Best if applied after a shower. You can diffuse 3-4 drops in a diffuser or just add a drop into your palms, rub together and inhale deeply couple of times. Neroli Reduces feelings of anxiety and encourages relaxation. Promotes positive attitude. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops. For topical use, Neroli works very good on your skin as it helps to soothe it. For a relaxing massage experience, mix Neroli with Lavender and Ylang Ylang with carrier oil and massage into skin. Clary Sage Reduces anxiety from emotional and hormonal imbalance and great for relaxing both the mind and the body as it calms emotions Diffuse 3-4 drops before going to bed or diffuse 2 drops with 2 drops of your preferred citrus oil to elevate positive emotions. For topical use, dilute 1-2 drops with carrier oil and apply on your pulse points and massage into your abdomen. You can also take a warm bath, by adding 2 drops of Clary Sage, 2 drops of Roman Chamomile, 2 drops of Lavender and half a cup of Epsom salts. Roman Chamomile Soothes your body and mind and enhances feelings of calm and relaxation. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops. For topical use dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and apply to the soles of your feet or add 1-2 drops to your moisturiser. You can also take it internally, by adding 1-2 drops to your favourite herbal tea. Caution: Avoid if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Basil Helps to reduce stress and anxiety both in the body and mind. Also reduces muscle tension and improves mental focus. For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops or inhale straight from the bottle. For topical use dilute 1 drop of oil with carrier oil and rub on your temples or dilute 1-2 drops and rub into your tense muscles. Caution: Avoid if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or epileptic. It may also affect blood clotting, so do avoid if you are being treated for this. Jasmine It uplifts the mood and enhances feelings of piece and joy For aromatic use diffuse 3-4 drops For topical use dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and add to your pulse points (neck, wrists, behind the knee) or soles of your feet. Caution: Note that it may cause allergic reaction due to benzyl acetate content Ylang Ylang Has both calming effect on your mind and body as well as uplifting your mood. It also lessens stress and feelings of tension Use it both topically or aromatically (3-4 drops in a diffuser). Topically it's best to mix 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and apply to pulse points (your wrists, neck, groin) or massage into tense areas of your body Melissa Helps to calm and relax both mind and body, but also uplifts and restores positive mood. For aromatic use, diffuse 3-4 drops before going to bed or add it to your palms, rub together and inhale deeply. For topical use, dilute 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and massage into your neck and shoulders.

I have always been a healthy person, enjoying making and eating healthy food, loving active lifestyle and being conscious what I put onto my body and into my body. However my own health challenges have encouraged me to seek information in so much more detail to learn how can I support my own healing journeys and not be reliant only on conventional medicine. LYME DISEASE In August 2016 I developed severe headaches, 'steel neck', photo-sensitivity, fever and in general aches and pains throughout my body. At first I thought it was flu as the symptoms were very similar apart from the weird neck stiffness. I was advised by my family doctor to go and have the lyme disease test done. The only tick bite I knew off was in April 2016 and there was no symptoms after that and I managed to remove the tick though it had attached itself on my body already. I did however get a strange red blotch on my stomach in August when I developed the symptoms. Unfortunately the infections doctor did not want to do the test for me but said we should rather wait for 2 weeks and then do the tests to make sure body has developed antibodies. Next day as I felt the same, very bad, I thought I can't bare these symptoms for another two weeks as I need to take care of my family, I decided to go to the lab and get the blood test done. I was phoned back the same day and told I need to start to take antibiotics immediately as both the Borrelia burgdorferi IgG and Borrelia burgdorferi IgM were very high. I was prescribed antibiotics, which I had to take for three weeks. These were very strong and literally killed the bacteria in my gut despite me taking pro-biotics at the same time. I started to develop daily joint pains which made it difficult to get out of the bed in the mornings. GOING GLUTEN-FREE Three months after my diagnosis, a friend of mine, who was also diagnosed with Lyme disease in the past, recommended me to stop eating gluten containing foods and see whether this would improve my condition (joint pains). In January 2017 I did exactly that, I stopped eating any food containing wheat, rye, barley and spelt. It did take couple of weeks, but I started to notice how it was much easier to get out of the bed in the mornings and a month or two later I noticed, the joint pains were gone. Now 3.5 years later I can say it was the best decision I could make for my health. I have eaten twice during these following years white bread, once in Barcelona on my way to Rolling Stones concert with my dear twin-sister and this was simply because there wasn’t anything to quickly grab on our way to the concert and we were truly hungry. Wrong decision- always be prepared! And second time in Portugal, when I attended a cooking lesson with my South African friend and we made bread from scratch and I thought, ‘I will just try it and see how successful were we with making our own bread’. I really struggled couple of hours after that with such tiredness- all I wanted was to sleep. So for me, I know it’s just not worth it anymore to try and test whether gluten works for me or not. I just stay away as I want to feel good. Since I stopped eating gluten I started to get more and more interested in understanding how food affects our wellbeing and what else can I do to support my wellness, so I can show up to the world at my best, whatever is the best for me. Over the 3 years, I have read most probably over hundred books on nutrition, spiritual health, listened to over 600 health podcasts and regularly listen and follow some of my favourite wellness and nutrition experts, doctors and people who are passionate about health like myself. There are many people I enjoy reading, listening and following on a regular basis. These are the people I have gained my knowledge from and who have inspired me to make many changes in my daily life and habits. I have listed them in order of when I started to read their books and/or listen to their audiobooks and podcasts. Kelly LeVeque- Body Love Jessica Sepel- The Healthy Life and Living the Healthy Life Sarah Wilson- I Quit Sugar, I Quit Sugar: Simplicious, I Quit Sugar: Simplicious Flow, First We Make the Beast Beautiful Dr. Jesse Chappus & Marni Wasserman Julie Daniluk- The Detox Plan Julie Daniluk- Meals that Heal Inflammation Dr. Mark Hyman- WTF Should I Eat Alisa Vitti- Woman Code David Wolfe- The Beauty Diet Steven R. Gundry- The Plant Paradox Dr. Axe- Keto Diet Leanne Vogel- The Keto Diet Pedram Shojai- The Urban Monk Jason Wrobel- Eaternity Nadine Artemis- Renegade Beauty Dr. Joe Dispenza- Becoming Supernatural Becky Campbell- The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan Dr. Mariza Snyder- Smart Mom's guide to Essential oils and Essential Oils Hormone Solution Dr. Alan Christianson- The Metabolism Reset Diet Shiroko Sokitch- Healing When it Seems Impossible Dr. Izabella Wentz- Hashimoto's Food Pharmacology Will Cole- The Inflammation Spectrum JJ. Virgin- the Virgin Diet Dave Asprey- Game Changers Anthony William- Medical Medium Sara Gottfried- Brain Body Diet (currently reading) Dave Asprey- Super Human (currently reading) Sarah Ballantyne- Paleo Principles (currently reading) I am truly happy to have ended on this never-ending journey of wellness and that I have taken the time to read, listen and learn about health from the many experts in their fields. I understand my body much better and know about many tools I can use to support it when it's out of balance. I know there are many similar wellness blogs out there, but I feel I need to share the knowledge I have gained with the people around as I do hope that there are relatives, friends, friends of friends who can benefit from the information to use for themselves or for their closest ones.

I decided to share the below to hopefully reach people who have been going through something similar and are wondering how other people recover from such a brain surgery like ETV (Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy). In September 2018, I fell hard on my head and back from a balancing rope between the trees in the forest. I was taken away by ambulance and though as per doctors I did not get a concussion, the weeks and months after the fall were filled with pain. Daily headaches, neck pains, back aches, balance problems, memory problems, constant pressure in the head, loosing feeling in my right arm etc. After months of pain and visiting doctors to understand what’s going on with my head, I was sent to MRI and neurosurgeon diagnosed me with non-communicating or an obstructive hydrocephalus, which means that the spinal fluid (CSF) flow is blocked along a passage connecting the third ventricle in the brain. There is no other known cure for non-communicating hydrocephalus than a brain surgery. There are two common surgeries for hydrocephalus- either surgical insertion of a drainage system, called a shunt or ETV (Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy), where with surgical procedure an opening is created in the floor of the third ventricle using an endoscope placed within the ventricular system through a burr hole. For myself, the neurosurgeon recommended ETV, which was performed in March 2019. RECOVERY FROM THE BRAIN SURGERY Since I haven’t found a lot of information in the web about the recovery time, possible side-effects, complications from this particular surgery, I thought I would like to share it myself with the others, who are women in their 40s and who have recently had the same surgery and wondering. LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN Right after the surgery, it took me a day or two to be able to start to walk slowly as the world was very unstable, I felt dizzy and it did not feel natural to walk. Neurosurgeon encouraged me to get on my feet as quickly as possible and back into my daily routine. I took the advice seriously and tried to walk as much as I could, gradually increasing the time every day I was in the hospital. I was released after 4 days. I took a week off from work for recovery, so in total I was away from work for 11 days. Now looking back after 10 months, it was a mistake. I should have taken time off from work for couple of months to focus on the recovery. I continued on a daily basis walking longer distances. It was difficult to drive a car after the 11 days not being behind a steering- wheel, but I had to drive for a checkup to my family doctor. I really had to focus more and be more careful while driving. But this luckily improved quickly. MEMORY TESTS Neurosurgeon sent me also to do memory tests right after the surgery and also three months after the surgery. The tests were exactly the same. Though nothing major came out from these tests, that I should have been worried about, I was struggling with short-term memory and cognitive performance as the speed was inconsistent in a short space of time. HORMONES Apart from the shaved area in the front left part of the head with 2.5cm scar, which I have had to cover more months, I lost quite a bit of hair after the surgery. Hair fall-out stopped around 2 months after the surgery. I also lost my period for 2 months, which fortunately came back and also went regular after couple of months. However in general I have been struggling with a lot of daily anxiety, emotional ups and downs, which has improved over time, but I am not yet where I used to be. PAINS AND PRESSURE What was a great relief after the surgery was that I did not have any headaches, neck pains or back pains nor pressure in the head- only the pain from the scar. And this was the case for three months after the surgery. Four months after the surgery I started to feel very tired at the end of every day, working days started to become real struggles. I started to develop headaches again. I could not focus nor understand what people were talking. I realised I had to take a break from work and give my body more time for recovery. I took one month off from work. It did help. I had more energy, I felt I could show up to the world with my full potential. Unfortunately it took me two months where I was back again in the same position, where I started to feel pressure in the head, felt nauseous, got headaches (sharp pains in different parts of the head or overall stronger headaches). I switched to standing desk at work after the operation as I did not feel good sitting. Whenever I stood up from sitting, laying position and started moving, I felt dizzy. I was sent for another MRI in January 2020. The results were good, the brain was functionally working, which was very positive- there had not been any fluid build-up and from the MRI photos it looked that things worked well. My neurosurgeon said, I should not be worried about the head anymore and my headaches, pressure, dizziness could be linked to something else. As my hemoglobin, haematocrit, iron and ferritin levels have been on the lower side, where I also had to take iron supplements for a short period of time, I am now going to focus on increasing my intake on iron-rich foods and see how this will effect my well-being after some time.