Friday, January 27, 2012

Being Thankful for Fat

Today I am thankful... I am thankful that my son is able to run, play sports (especially basketball, his favorite one), and is currently pain-free. My oldest son has a rare auto-inflammatory condition called Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis or CRMO for short. This disease is so rare that it is estimated that only 1 in a million kids have it and it is even rarer for boys. As I watched him play basketball last night my mind went back to last year at this time when he was in so much pain that he limped and could barely walk up the stairs let alone run on the court. This is a child who has rarely been sick in his life and hardly ever missed school - he missed days and days of it during that time and basically missed out on the entire basketball season. He has been in remission since May and I pray that it stays that way. BUT... This is a disease of flare-ups and remissions... an auto-inflammatory disease that can strike again at any time without warning. And strike it can. Hard. Even things like falling on the court or getting shoved can exasperate this condition and it can flare up again. And so, as I watch him fall last night my stomach feels a bit sick and I pray that this won't be the start of it again. So far so good. But, I am THANKFUL. I thank God that He found us wonderful doctors and surgeons that diagnosed this rather quickly and that there is medicine that can help alleviate the pain and shrink the tumors. I thank God for giving me the wisdom to have studied natural health and nutrition so that I can use my knowledge to create a better life for my children and any other child that may have this disease.

While I was on a CRMO site on Facebook this morning I noticed a question posed by another mom of a child who has CRMO questioning the benefits of krill or fish oils. There is so much information out there and it can be hard for people to weed through what's really true and what's not. I cannot stress the benefits of fish oils enough - I have given them to my children ever since they were one year olds. I'm sure by now most people have heard of Omega 3 fatty acids.... Fish oils contain these but in the form of EPA/DHA. In simple terms, this means that this is the usable form of Omega 3's. As we consume Omega 3 fatty acids our bodies convert these to EPA/DHA - fish oils have the added benefit of already being coverted. I have seen benefits in both myself (I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 11+ years) and my son with his CRMO. Omega 3's work on the Prostaglandins in the body that DECREASE inflammation. Decreasing inflammation is a GOOD thing. On top of this, they are the preferred fatty acid for the brain, benefits the eyes, hair, skin and heart. By the way, I recommend a liquid, good-quality brand of fish oils such as Nordic Naturals or Carlson.

And so I am not only thankful for health I am also thankful for fat. GOOD fat like the Omega 3's. Have a blessed and thankful day!