This article is written in partnership with Upful Blends. They’re dedicated to our health and healing, and to the health and healing of the planet, and we’re honored to work with them. ~ ed

upful
/ˈʌpfʊl,ˈʌpf(ə)l/
Adjective WEST INDIAN
Cheerful and Positive. Ascended. Uplifted.

It started when I was about 12.

I slipped into deep depression and anxiety. I wanted to kill myself. I tried to kill myself. 

My parents didn’t know what to do. They took me to different therapists, trying to help me find an answer, a cure. All these therapists did was throw medication at me. I ended up taking so many different meds, I lost count. 

This was just the beginning of a long battle for my health: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. I was lost in the darkness as all sorts of “dis-ease” manifested throughout my body…until I was finally able to find complete healing.

My life and my health have been completely transformed, and I have said goodbye to medication for good.

Alkaline living is what saved me—after Western medicine failed me—and I have never looked back. Through my business, Upful Blends, I have lovingly crafted herbal and medicinal tea blends which contain the energy I desperately needed to receive when I was suffering.

I hope my story of personal healing helps you remember who and what you truly are, and how you, too, may heal—naturally. If my story inspires you to consider alkaline living, read on for my top tips on how to get started.

Learn more about all things alkalinity:
Download my Alkaline Lifestyle Transition Guide ebook, free >>

My Remembrance:

“If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him.” ~ Hippocrates

After trying to kill myself at the young age of 12, I slipped into a state of “dis-ease” for many years. 

I had anger management issues, hormonal issues—I could not stay balanced. I went to the doctors again, and they gave me more medication, of course. I was on six different birth control pills in the space of nine months.

At 17, I started experiencing fibroids—tumors in my chest. I had chest surgery to remove them, and when I asked the doctor what was happening, all he could say was, “You’re a tumor farm.” 

From the ages of 18 to 20, this dark cloud of sickness within and around my body and mind culminated in me being involved in multiple car accidents on the highway. I was on bed rest for a year and I lost the feeling on the left side of my body. I still have a numb patch on the left side of my head, just behind my ear. 

There I was, not even 21 and struggling with pain, recurring tumors, depression, anxiety, anger, severe skin problems, even anemia. 

It was then that I decided I had finally had enough. I chose a different path. I did my research and went completely raw vegan for six months. 

Making meals was a challenge, but with the help of a few resources, I persevered. I mono fasted (eating only one fruit or vegetable for an extended period of time), juiced, made smoothie bowls. I started feeling more alive. My mind was clear from fog and my body more vibrant…but I wasn’t getting everything I needed. 

After some time, the anemia worsened, my body started to shut down, I had no energy. My heart palpitations happened more often, and chest pains became an everyday thing. My nerve pain wouldn’t go away. I felt defeated, that there was no light at the end of the tunnel. What I didn’t know then was that I was acidifying my body with hybrid, mucus-causing fruits.

Alkalinity is Life.

“Healing has to be consistent with life itself. If it isn’t, then it’s not healing. The components have to be from life!” ~ Dr. Sebi

Alkalinity is so much more than just a number on the pH scale; it is the balance of life itself.

Everything on Earth comes from the same source and is made up of the same vibrating, connected cellular energy. 

On a scale of how alkaline (energy-filled) or acidic (low/no energy) something is, alkalinity is a pH of 7.0 and higher and acidity is 6.9 and lower, as shown in the graph below. The body works to maintain a slightly alkaline 7.4 pH environment in the blood.

When we consume or use on our bodies that which is man-made, it adds acidity to the blood and the body overall, bringing it to a lower energy state. Ever wonder why you feel extremely tired after eating a meal with meat, processed foods, or dairy, but if you were to stuff yourself with a salad, you’d still move with the same or even higher energy levels?

We live in a world of toxins and temptation, but we don’t have to live in a low energy state. However, since our bodies have been bombarded and conditioned from the womb with small but significant amounts of toxins, waste, metals, and calcification, the body has to cleanse from the situation it has been put into.

This is the journey I took over a month in Usha village, Honduras. I fasted, cleansed with herbs, learned the teachings of Dr. Sebi, and healed of all, yes all, dis-ease.

Learn more about Dr. Sebi & the African Bio Mineral Balance>>

Following my time in Honduras where I not only healed my body but also experienced profound spiritual growth, I was inspired and guided to share the alkaline lifestyle with the wider world. 

Sickness is Not your Fate: Quick ‘n Dirty Tips for a More Alkaline Life.

• Eating/Drinking:

Drink water first thing in the morning (preferably spring water which is high in alkaline mineral content). You can also add key lime, cucumber slices, fruit, or alkaline herbs in your water to alkalize it. 

Increase your intake of leafy green vegetables, chickpeas, alkaline grains, and squash.

Substitute. You don’t have to completely forget about the things you once loved to eat. All you have to do is change the ingredients a bit. These things are a breeze to make and you can do them in batches to store in a glass jar for when you need them to substitute into recipes/meals. Here are some easy alkaline food swaps:

Meat: walnut, mushroom, chickpea
Cheese: brazil nut, walnut, butternut squash
Mayonnaise & whipped cream: aquafaba 
Milk: coconut milk, walnut milk, hemp milk
Chips: dehydrated vegetables, zucchini, squash
Honey: agave
Sugar: agave, date sugar, date syrup
Eggs: aquafaba, chickpea flour

My favorite alkaline recipes >>

Make herbs your new best friends. Consume alkaline herbs on a daily basis. The ones to keep close include Sarsparilla, Burdock Root, Elderberry, Sea Moss, and Dandelion. If you’re thinking these don’t sound like herbs you can buy at the supermarket, you’re probably right, which is exactly why I created Upful Blends: to bring the purest herbs and teas to those who wish to be truly free in body and mind. Ninety percent of the herbs I use in my blends come from Southern Africa, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. The other ten percent I source from North America. 

• Personal Hygiene:
  
  Since acid is absorbed through your skin as well, I’d suggest switching to natural, holistic deodorants and soaps. African Black Soap is a great one to use for both face and body.

I make all my body products from scratch from the alkaline alternatives to chemicals in most regular self-care products. I use ingredients like:
Coconut oil
Grape seed oil
Olive oil
Nopal
Eucalyptus
Lavendar
Arnica
Manzo
Batana

• Education:
  
  Here are some websites to check out for alkaline food recipes, books on alkaline living, and movies to help in your continued awareness of the effects of consuming meat, dairy, and processed foods. 
  
  Books: Alkaline Plant Based Diet: Reversing Disease and Saving the Planet with an Alkaline Plant Based Diet. ~ Aqiyl Aniys
  Seven Days in Usha Village: A Conversation with Dr. Sebi. ~ Beverly Oliver
  
  Movies: “Rotten,” “What the Health,” “Vegucated,” “Vanishing of the Bees,” “Cowspiracy,” “Fast Food Nation,” “Food Choices,” “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.”
  
  Websites: Upful Blends, Ty’s Conscious Kitchen, Blended Adobe
  
• Consciousness Practice:

Alkaline living doesn’t stop at what you use or consume. That’s just the beginning! The state of your mind and spirit is just as important as a healthy body. Giving your body and mind that rooted stillness brings us back to awareness and peace.

Grounding: grounding with the earth in the mornings clears your mind, recharges your energy, strengthens your instincts, and calms your emotions. Stand barefooted and place all of your awareness at the bottom of your feet. Pay attention to all sensations and give gratitude for the energy you receive. Do this for just a minute or less.

Meditation: it doesn’t have to be a task. It can simply be anything that guides you to a more peaceful state of awareness. There are a lot of beginner’s meditation tips on Elephant Journal.

Stillness: practicing moments of stillness throughout the day allows you to come back to your root. It also allows for calm energy to bring about healing. You can do this in a number of ways, by walking, sitting quietly under a tree, or doing something that brings you joy.

Gratitude: this is my favorite practice because expressing gratitude brings us into resonance with abundance and love. Practice writing down things you are grateful for daily just mentally saying “thank you” when you appreciate something.

Learn more about all things alkalinity:
Download my Alkaline Lifestyle Transition Guide ebook, free >>

It is my belief that everyone deserves to experience healing and connection. Upful Blends is my organism of healing and remembrance, my offering of gratitude.

I now get to travel and work intimately with tribespeople of Southern Africa and the Amazon who I source the herbs from, with the intention of furthering the healing we so deeply need. In exchange for the knowledge they share with me, I give back to them.

If you’re curious to learn more about living in alkalinity, start here.

It’s not easy at first, but I can tell you it’s worth it. 

I no longer want to live anything less than the amazing and vibrant-with-love life that I’m feeling now. 

Dis-ease is my past. Vibrant health is my present. An epic life is my future. I wish the same for you! It is our birthright.