Pam Schmidt
Chemical Minimalist
This is my story...
You may be asking WHY did you embrace the Chemical Minimalist life?!
It’s a long journey, but I will tell you the short version. When I was expecting our first child, I felt a magnetic attraction toward using healthy foods & vitamins as much as possible. We were blessed to find a pediatrician who would recommend natural remedies, such as rice water for diarrhea. Back then vaccinations & antibiotics were treatments our family used liberally at the first signs of being sick. We were excited about our lives, and had hopes to make a big impact on the world.
And then the unthinkable happened...
When our oldest child was three years old, my husband contracted a highly resistant & life threatening case of Tuberculosis. It was presumptive to his work as a police officer. He was in the hospital (still dying) for 2 1/2 weeks without a diagnosis.
Then my husband was transferred to a “teaching“ hospital, and the diagnosis was given within 2 hours. He was given “chemo-strength” medication to aggressively battle the TB.
The chemo-strength medicines caused my husband to suffer from permanent neuropathy, lupus, arthritis, respiratory problems and reduced strength. He was declared disabled & and was medically retired by the time he was 34 years old.
Our lives have been changed
by TB & the medical treatment
used to fight it.
Until then, I was able to hold a job-share teaching job, so I could be home more with our 3 year old son and 6 month old daughter. We did not know what the future held. Would we lose our insurance? Our income? Our home?
So I took a full-time teaching job. My husband stayed home with our kids. He struggled through maintaining daily domestic life. Sometimes he was asleep, while our daughter sucked her thumb and watched Bonanza. God was gracious and protected us from many potential disasters.
During those couple of years, I had my #1 and #2 most difficult classes of students EVER. I nearly had a nervous breakdown. I was depressed. Why was God allowing this pathetic situation to continue on in our family?
THIS is why I decided I MUST
I REALLY Wanted To Fix These Problems:
My husband needed to rebuild his health and stamina
My family needed to be more healthy without multiple doses of antibiotics each year.
My emotions and immune system needed to be optimized in order to maintain our income and insurance.
My family needed to regain the joy of life that we knew God wanted us to experience.
I began my discovery of
the Chemical Minimalist's Life
I have not been able to resist the increased magnetic attraction toward natural solutions in our daily lives. My heart & my prayers are constantly attracted toward finding non-toxic answers to the crazy, modern, pill popping life.
I must admit, Chemical Minimalism has been a gradual process over the years. It has not been easy to even KNOW WHERE to search for solutions, let alone to KNOW HOW to do things in the most natural, healthy way.
So all these years later, our Chemical Minimalistic life includes:
- a daily program of vitamins, supplements, essential oils, & remedies
- using supplements to help specifically with our respiratory health
- switching from toxic cleaners to less toxic, then to microfiber cloths with water
- limiting antibiotic prescriptions for the times they were the only option
- eating whole foods as much as possible
- reducing refined foods as much as possible
- exercise routines that aid our physical limitations
I've had health issues too:
My struggle with chronic eye problems began about 15 years ago. This problem always starts with a case of pinkeye, that I catch from my Kindergarten students. Each time my eye ailment erupts, it lasts for several months. I was additionally diagnosed with allergies to nickel & iron oxide (which are used in most cosmetics). This has pulled me deeper into the Chemical Minimalist practice of eliminating soap and harsh detergent in my daily routines.
Again-this journey in becoming a Chemical Minimalist has taken a LOT of research over MANY YEARS. My deepest hope is to save you time AND to help you enjoy the benefits of the Chemical Minimalist Lifestyle today!
Pam Schmidt
Chemical Minimalist