Mid-Year Life Update: Parasite Outbreaks, Vaccine Research, and Going Down Rabbit Holes

Welcome back to Crunchy Stewardship! We are about halfway through 2026, so we decided to hit pause on our regular deep-dives for a mid-year life update. We are pulling back the curtain to share what we are currently learning, researching, and challenging ourselves with right now. Spoiler alert: we do not have it all figured out, and the crunchy journey is always a work in progress!

In this episode, we are going down some wild rabbit holes. Katie shares her upcoming plans to time a parasite cleanse with the full moon (just as a major parasitic outbreak hits Michigan!), and how she is tackling the 1,000 Hours Outside challenge using a budget-friendly spreadsheet. Chrissy shares her intensive, neutral deep-dive into researching the childhood vaccine schedule, looking at package inserts, and asking the hard questions about chronic disease rates.

We also chat about the value of reading theology and cultural books that we completely disagree with, and how challenging our own perspectives ultimately builds a much firmer foundation for our faith!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Random Revelation: The recent Cyclospora parasite outbreak hitting the Detroit area, and the best ways to protect your gut (hello, raw garlic and papaya seeds!).
• The 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge: How Katie is tracking her family's outdoor time and using summer camping trips to offset the freezing Michigan winters.
• Vaccine Deep-Dives: Chrissy’s approach to researching vaccines without the overwhelm, utilizing package inserts, and comparing global chronic disease rates.
• Stewarding Our Minds: Why we are intentionally reading books we disagree with, and how learning to form your own logical, biblical arguments strengthens your faith.
• Conspiracy Corner: We touch on the Federal Reserve, bioweapons, and why asking "why" is the most dangerous (and important!) question you can ask in the crunchy world.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

The Books We Are Reading (and Debating!):

• The Secrets of the Federal Reserve by Eustace Mullins: https://amzn.to/4fdIWDL
• Irresistible by Andy Stanley: https://amzn.to/44xkS8x
• Seven Days That Divide the World by John C. Lennox: https://amzn.to/4vBIoMx
• Getting Over Yourself: https://amzn.to/4wKTMaa
• How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates: https://amzn.to/4w5ALz4

Crunchy Resources:

• Earthley Wellness Parasite Cleanse: https://www.earthley.com/products/parasite-detox-bundle
• 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/
• Just the Inserts (Vaccine Label Resource): https://justtheinserts.com/
• Katie the PA (Vaccine Research on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/katiec.pac/

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome & The Mid-Year Check-In 
02:15 Random Revelation: The Michigan Parasite Outbreak 
08:30 Conspiracy Corner: The Federal Reserve & The Power of "Why" 
14:15 Theology Talk: Reading Books We Disagree With 
27:30 Katie’s Goal: Tackling the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge 
33:10 Chrissy’s Deep-Dive: Navigating Vaccine Research & Inserts 
45:00 Empowering Yourself Through Education & Wrapping Up

Remember, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Connect With Us: 

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crunchychristianmama

Follow us on Instagram @crunchystewardship 

FREE How to Afford Non-Toxic Living Workbook: https://crunchystewardship.com/how-to-afford-non-toxic-living

Transcript

Chrissy 0:00

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Crunchy Stewardship. You are here with Chrissy and Katie once again. We are talking all things crunchy, all things stewarding our bodies for the glory of God. And today, we are throwing it back to an episode topic that we have touched on in the past. If you have been with us from the beginning when we started posting our episodes, twice last year we posted a life update episode on what are we doing, what are we learning, what are the most recent swaps that we have made, and what are some things that we are working towards in our own personal crunchy journeys. And so today we decided, you know, let's talk about that again. We're about halfway through the year of 2026, and so I think it would be a perfect time to go ahead and, uh, talk about what we are learning specifically in our own personal lives. Um, just to give you guys a little glimpse of reality that we're not perfect. We don't know all the things, and it's a journey for all of us. It's a long process to become crunchy, and I feel like even the crunchiest of people still have areas of improvement that they're trying to work towards. So, um, yeah. Just take that as a little bit of encouragement to you that there's, um, definitely no need to feel perfect or to have everything under control and to know everything about everything, 'cause we're all learning right here together, and that's the whole purpose of this podcast, is to empower our re- our listeners and, um, give you guys the motivation and encouragement to go out and learn for yourselves and take your own steps towards becoming, uh, healthier and to steward your body well for the sake of the gospel. So, before we get started in today's episode, Katie is going to kick us off with our random revelation

Katie 2:09

Yes. My random revelation actually kind of ties into, I guess, like, where... Like, what I'm learning and where I'm at right now. So a few episodes ago, we talked about detoxing and specifically the topic of parasite And I mentioned it's been a goal of mine for 2026 to try my first parasite cleanse, and I did actually finally purchase my very first parasite cleanse kit. Um, I purchased the one from Earthly Wellness. I can link to it in case anyone's curious about it. I haven't started it. I will plan on starting it at the end of this month, right around the moon, 'cause if you learn about parasites, you learn that they're most active around the full moon, and that's when they kind of like awaken and lay eggs and stuff. And so there's a lot of crazy things that happen with your body around the full moon specifically. And so that's when I am planning on starting it. my random revelation does have to do with parasites, but not specis- specis- bleh, specifically about my parasite cleanse, though this comes at a really good time. There is, like, a major parasitic outbreak in the US, and the epicenter of it is Michigan The like, in the Detroit Metro area. In fact, the map that I looked at recently shows that they haven't really seen any specific outbreaks in my county yet, um, or my parents' county. So they haven't clocked any yet. You know, they haven't tracked any. Doesn't mean there aren't any at all. But from their records, they don't technically have one. But it is a, like, diarrhea-causing parasite outbreak, basically. And it's like the parasite is... It causes... I don't even know what this word is. Cyclospora, maybe, is the word. And they're trying to figure out exactly where it has originated from. They... One of these recent articles that I just pulled up right before the episode started says that they think that it might be from lettuce, salad greens, or that sort of thing. Basically, they've tracked it to simply any kind of fruit or vegetable, which I'm like, that is a lot of things.

Chrissy 4:47

That's so broad.

Katie 4:48

I know,

Chrissy 4:49

Anything

Katie 4:49

and s-

Chrissy 4:50

on the Earth

Katie 4:51

I know, anything that comes from the earth that might have a parasite. So I have been seeing all of these different things popping up in different Facebook groups about it. One of them has talked about how it could potentially be a bioweapon, basically. Like, you know, I, I ha- I touched on the idea a few weeks ago, I think it might have been the same episode, I actually don't remember, but ticks and how ticks may have been, uh, like, biologically

Chrissy 5:22

the correlation that they are creating a vaccine for Lyme disease this year and the tick population has gone up dramatically.

Katie 5:32

Exactly.

Chrissy 5:33

know,

Katie 5:34

these

Chrissy 5:34

correlation does not indicate causation, but there are some conclusions that can be drawn.

Katie 5:42

So anyway, so the, the parasite thing, it could be a bioweapon, whatever. I don't, I don't... I like to listen to these things just because I kind of find it interesting, but I don't necessarily buy into all of them all the time. It's more just like, whoa, that's crazy if the government or someone is playing a part in these parasitic outbreaks or the fact that everybody has Lyme disease these days. But I came across this one useful

Chrissy 6:08

Wait, hang on. Back to Lyme disease. Have you ever met someone with Lyme disease?

Katie 6:13

I have met people who have a s- like, a somebody in their life who has Lyme disease. Actually, that's, that's not true. I did have a friend in high school who had Lyme disease, and that was the only one person. But I do... Like, I've met people who are like, "My mom has struggled with it

Chrissy 6:31

Someone who knows someone. Okay

Katie 6:33

there was just that one person, and that was before I really knew anything about anything. I'm like, "Oh, you have a disease. That's sad for you." But now I'm like, okay, I kind of am more aware of it.

Chrissy 6:43

Mm-hmm.

Katie 6:44

I have been learning that there are homeopathic treatments to Lyme disease,

Chrissy 6:49

Oh,

Katie 6:50

curious, you

Chrissy 6:50

to know

Katie 6:51

I don't really know them, but I know that they're out there. Uh, so I came across this post that was like, is any- what are people doing to prevent the chance of catching this parasitic outbreak? So there's a few things. I have been learning more about just different free things that you can do in order to help kill off any parasites in your body. One of the best ones are raw seeds, and papaya seeds are also really good as well, and then raw garlic and onion, which is super weird and sounds disgusting to eat raw garlic to me for some reason, but I'm

Chrissy 7:35

Just take a bite.

Katie 7:36

Yeah.

Chrissy 7:37

Yum

Katie 7:38

that's, like, some thoughts. People also were saying that, you know, buying like stay- trying to keep it as local as possible so that, like, you understand your farmer. Because if you look at the epicenter map, like, if you, if you just go online and Google it and, and look, it's in, it's in larger cities, which probably means that it's linked to either maybe fast food restaurant chains that more populated in those areas or larger grocery chains over there versus, like, you look at the map and all of the really rural areas, for like example, where I live, these areas are not really getting it, so it probably means that we're not being shipped those larger things to the grocery stores. So trying to eat as local as possible, and people were also recommending eating frozen. Or if you choose to have just vegetables and fruits from the grocery store, cooking everything. So if you want to eat anything like that, just make sure it's, like, cooked or that you heat it up enough that, yeah, that a parasite would die.

Chrissy 8:52

Honestly, that's a good recommendation just in general, 'cause cooked vegetables are significantly better for your gut microbiome anyways than raw vegetables. Raw vegetables are kinda rough on the gut, but cooked vegetables are really good for the gut. So in general, that's a good rule of thumb. Hard to follow, but

Katie 9:11

Yeah. with fruits because like you, you don't really cook fruits as frequently

Chrissy 9:17

but grilled peaches, ooh, those are good.

Katie 9:22

De- I mean, there are definitely cases. I mean, obviously when you make like pies, you cook fruit, but I'm thinking like, I don't... If I want an apple, I'm not gonna go roast an apple. I'm gonna just wash it thoroughly and eat it. So that's another tip is just simply being overly sensitive to washing your fruits and veggies before you c- you eat them in general, if you are eating them raw

Chrissy 9:46

it is confirmed that the parasites are on the food, not in the food

Katie 9:52

Nope, I guess I don't know that for a fact.

Chrissy 9:54

Oh, okay. Well,

Katie 9:55

So that was just like, people were just, like spewing some different things, so I was like looking at all of the tips of like, yeah, like people are like, "Prioritize buying organic, especially if you are planning on eating it raw." And basically people are like, "I'm just not eating any produce at all for this time until I know that it's over with." Which I feel like is a little extreme, 'cause I'm like, "You should probably still eat your fruits and veggies." But maybe they're focusing on, like canned or

Chrissy 10:25

we're gonna do a carnivore diet for a month.

Katie 10:28

yeah. So anyway, and I have heard... I don't personally know anybody who has had it, but just from what I've seen in, like some Facebook groups is, people are like, "It's rough." Like because it's, vomiting and diarrhea, which just sounds terrible. just being careful like usual. I think also it's just a scare tactic. It's kind of like when they, when all of a sudden you hear about, like a, a huge eruption of measles, right? And, and it's like, "Oh my gosh, everybody's getting measles." But then you like do some of the research and it's really a

Chrissy 11:06

Like five people.

Katie 11:07

population, and it's in a only one town, and it's like, not like a whole state, and it's not even the whole country. It's just very isolated.

Chrissy 11:16

Mm-hmm.

Katie 11:17

so I think it's like a scare tactic. But it's interesting because with the measles stuff, you know that they're trying to get people to get vaccines. So I'm just like, okay, if it is some kind of a scare tactic, are they trying to scare you into? You know what I mean?

Chrissy 11:33

if I were to take a wild shot at it, um, I would say probably scare you into buying more processed foods

Katie 11:42

Hmm.

Chrissy 11:43

because the stocks and the value of a lot of processed food companies in the past year has decreased tremendously. I saw earlier this week The Food Babe actually posted, um, the values of, like, top 10 major processed food companies, including PepsiCo, Hershey's, um... I don't remember who else was on that list.

Katie 12:14

on that list

Chrissy 12:15

No, Kellogg's wasn't on the list, but some of these companies, like, their stock value went down by over 50%,

Katie 12:22

Wow, that's

Chrissy 12:22

which is wild to me. So I could, I could see that potentially being

Katie 12:31

Like stop

Chrissy 12:31

something

Katie 12:32

altogether and come to McDonald's.

Chrissy 12:35

And come

Katie 12:36

packaged foods

Chrissy 12:38

drink that or take the, the packaged fruits and veggies instead.

Katie 12:44

Mm-hmm

Chrissy 12:44

You know, like the little fruit cups or applesauce or whatever. Um, yeah, I could see that, unfortunately

Katie 12:54

Yeah, it's, it's always interesting 'cause you always kinda know when you start to hear... And when you click on a lot of the articles, they're all super vague, but they all say the same information, and so you kind of wonder, yeah, what is the agenda here? What are they trying to get you to do, basically? I, okay, so Because we're just talking nonsense today, I have to

Chrissy 13:20

We're talking about things we're learning, Katie.

Katie 13:22

Yes. This is, it, okay, I, sorry to get on the conspiracy train again.

Chrissy 13:28

You know what? It's so fun. I love it

Katie 13:30

It's so funny. I hope that other people are like, ooh, because again, like, I love learning about this because there's an element to truth in so much of it, especially when you watch things on movies where you're like, "No, that actually happens in real life,

Chrissy 13:44

Mm-hmm.

Katie 13:45

just

Chrissy 13:46

Well

Katie 13:47

made-up thing for the screen. It's like, no, this really happens

Chrissy 13:50

what Trump said when he was first elected as into presidency the second time? He said, "If you've heard a conspiracy theory, consider it true."

Katie 13:58

Yes

Chrissy 13:58

Trump, of all people, knows a lot of the secrets that are hidden from us.

Katie 14:02

A lot of the secrets. So speaking of secrets, the book that I'm reading right now is called, uh, the, The Federal Reserve Secrets or The Secrets of the Federal Reserve, something like that.

Chrissy 14:12

Ooh

Katie 14:13

it's all about how the Federal Reserve has... Like, how it got started, and how it's not a government-owned bank, which everybody thinks it's like, "Oh, it's the government."

Chrissy 14:27

Wait, really?

Katie 14:28

yeah, when you, when he breaks it down into, like, how it got started and all these things, from what I understand... Again, some of it's, like, a little high level for me, and it's just kind of like I'm just trying to take some nuggets of wisdom from it. It's a long book. It's like 10 plus hours, and I'm not even halfway through it. And, and that sounds long to me because I usually read, like, five-hour books, so it's, like, usually,

Chrissy 14:50

Wait, what, what's the name of this book again?

Katie 14:53

It's, let me pull it up again so I know the exact title, but it's something like The Secrets of the Federal Reserve.

Chrissy 14:59

Interesting

Katie 14:59

our, just an audiobook. Yeah, The Secrets of the Federal Reserve by Eustace Mullins. And okay, so I got it because that podcast episode I mentioned a few of our episodes ago that I had listened to where the guy was talking about the bells, and he was just

Chrissy 15:17

Mm-hmm.

Katie 15:18

crazy conspiracies. He had recommended a handful of books. He's like, "If you really wanna understand why nothing... everything is basically planned. Like, somebody is in control of all of the things that happen." And he's not talking about God, because God is ultimately in control of all the people that are in control. But if you think about what happens within the government systems in

Chrissy 15:42

Like the major political events kind of thing

Katie 15:46

He's like, "Everybody..." Like, the reason why, like, FDR was elected, he, like, pinpoints all this stuff and why, like, how this happens and why Herbert Hoover was the president when he was and, and all this stuff. And it's like pinned back to all these things. But he talks about the Federal Reserve primarily in this book, and mentions how basically... I, I don't really understand this, so I'd have to probably go back and re-listen to it or someone can explain it to me. Basically, our money and the Federal Reserve is all owned by, like, London, and how, like, London, the

Chrissy 16:23

London

Katie 16:24

It's so weird.

Chrissy 16:26

I thought we cut ties with them 250 years ago

Katie 16:30

So he basically says this in the book, and then now he's backtracking in history to, like, the start of America, which is wild because I was listening to this, this part of the book literally, like, the few days before the Fourth of July, which was crazy 'cause this year we celebrated the 250th anniversary. So as I'm listening to this I'm like, "What? This is crazy. Like, 1776 is a lie," kind of a thing. Anyway, it's just, it's interesting. Again, like, there's so much that goes

Chrissy 16:59

Interesting

Katie 17:00

head and I don't understand, and he's naming all these people that I'm like, "I've never heard of them," but they apparently were important in some aspect at some point.

Chrissy 17:08

I have to say,

Katie 17:09

too is

Chrissy 17:09

you were share- af- as you were sharing that, I was expecting you to say that the Rockefeller family owned the Federal Reserve,

Katie 17:16

Okay, so I

Chrissy 17:17

I was like, "That would make sense."

Katie 17:19

that he mentions, like, names all the time, and then right now he's starting to introduce how the Rockefellers are a part

Chrissy 17:27

Hmm.

Katie 17:28

But it's like they come, like, decades later after some of

Chrissy 17:32

Yeah.

Katie 17:33

and so now they're starting to come in. JP Morgan is, like, a huge part of it. His dad, too, which was... I forget his initials. Something Morgan. he was a part of it. Anyway, it's just all like, whoa, weird. Like, this is

Chrissy 17:48

Wild

Katie 17:49

and nothing was just by accident, or we think that we're, like, a free country, which just sound- Like, when you start hearing that, I'm like, "No, no, we are a free country. We, we- Everything really is. Like, it's all good and democracy." And it's like, basically he explains how, like, it's all of a hoax. Like, he

Chrissy 18:07

Mm-hmm.

Katie 18:08

that. Like, he- It's- But that's basically what he's saying with the information he's providing, and you're just like, "What? I thought I learned in eighth grade about how democracy works, and doesn't sound like how

Chrissy 18:21

learned what they decided to teach eighth graders about democracy?

Katie 18:26

So anyway, it's, it's so high level I don't, I don't understand it.

Chrissy 18:32

It's like when you have to listen to it quite a few times. That's how I feel with a lot of theology books. I'm like, "This is beyond my understanding."

Katie 18:40

That's a really good point. Okay, did I talk about the book that Wes and I just listened to recently? Um, it's called Irresistible

Chrissy 18:50

No

Katie 18:52

Andy Stanley.

Chrissy 18:53

Mm.

Katie 18:55

That is a really interesting book when you start to think, theologically, but also he... Wes and I just listened to this a few weeks ago. This was right before my Federal Reserve book. And he sets up the book very, like, wildly is how I would, almost like, not necessarily reckless, but he basically sets it up to say, like his first few chapters explaining how the Old Testament irrelevant for current Christians.

Chrissy 19:27

What?

Katie 19:27

"Whoa. Should we just..." And Wes and I, like considered turning the book off and just not listening to it, 'cause we were kind of like, "This guy is crazy. Like, what does he think he's saying?" he goes on to explain how we are as Christians under the new covenant, and so therefore the old covenant doesn't technically apply to us. And so we shouldn't take the Old Testament promises and put them with the, the new covenant or, like the old covenant promises with the new covenant. He explains it much better. And so it's given us a lot of like, like

Chrissy 20:07

I don't know how I believe, how I agree with that.

Katie 20:09

yeah,

Chrissy 20:10

I would have to read the book to really, like, create my own opinion on his perspective

Katie 20:17

Yes. The way he explains it has definitely given Wes and I like a, "Whoa." He makes some really, really good points, but it also was kind of like, I don't, I don't know if I totally agree with it. But I, I see where he's coming from in certain regards. So anyway, that's one of the books

Chrissy 20:36

Yeah. Interesting.

Katie 20:38

that I'm like, "That was a really good one,"

Chrissy 20:40

I just read a book, a theology book, uh, I forgot what it was called, but it's essentially, um, talking and breaking down the creation story. So, like Genesis 1 through 3. Hang on, let me look at my Hoopla to see if... It's, like, The Seven Days That Created the World or something like that. Oh, close. Seven Days that Divide the World, I was very close, by John C. Lennox. And he presents, like, a bunch of different angles on the creation story, and one of the ideas that he presented in there that I was like, "Wait, what?" And, like, "There ain't no way," was that he presented this idea that the fall did not actually introduce death into the world. And I was like, "What are you talking about?" Like, literally it says, like, "If you eat of this tree, you will surely die." But he said that, um, in the beginning of time, like, mankind was given the fruit of the garden to eat. And he was like, "Well, if they're eating of the fruit and of the plants, then the plants had to have died in order to be eaten. And therefore, death did not enter the world at the time of the fall." And I was like, "Well, on

Katie 22:15

Hmm.

Chrissy 22:16

like a, in terms of, like, the growth of the plant, technically, yeah, it's not growing anymore. But, like, do, does the, the life of the plant, like, truly actually die if

Katie 22:33

Hmm.

Chrissy 22:34

consumed?" Like, I even thought back to, like, the life cycle that we learned in, like, fifth grade, you know? Like, the, the transfer of energy from the grass to the grasshopper to the bird to the snake to the whatever eats the snake, you know? Like, the transfer of energy. And so I'm like, "Well, does the plant really die if energy Like, is still trying to... Anyways, it was a very interesting thing. I presented the idea to Max and he looked and he's like, "That's a stupid idea. Death was introduced at the Fall." And I was like, "Well, but he brings in some interesting comments about it." And he was like, "Nope." I was like, "Okay."

Katie 23:13

uh, what I like about those books is that they just make you think a little bit outside the box. There were definitely points that I actually really appreciated that Andy Stanley mentioned in his book, and one of them is just simply s- like the phrase of like, "Well, the Bible says XYZ." he talks about, he's like, "The Bible doesn't say anything. The Bible wouldn't even exist if the resurrection didn't exist." And so we have the Bible because the resurrection happened, and there were all of his disciples that felt so compelled to write down these letters and to tell people about the resurrection. And then somebody later came and decided they're going to collect all of these writings, and then also put it with the Jewish, like, Torah and the scriptures from before the resurrection, and then they compiled it as the Bible. So instead of saying, "The Bible says this," you say, "Well, the Apostle Paul says this," because it was his letter that spoke of Jesus. And so when you say, know, "Well, how do you know that Jesus loves you?" "Well, the Bible tells me." And it's like, no, the Bible doesn't tell you anything. You know that Jesus loves you because of the resurrection that the Apostle Paul told you about, and that the, you know, the, that Matthew told you about, and that Luke told you about, and Mark and John. And so it's really to me to think

Chrissy 24:36

Or by saying the Bible tells me, is that not another way of saying, like, the Spirit of God tells me? Because the Bible is breathed out, like, inspired. The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and so, like, everything that all these people wrote down is ultimately God communicating to His people.

Katie 24:59

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 25:00

so in saying, like, the Bible told me is, I would say, is probably similar to me saying like, "Well, God told me,"

Katie 25:07

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 25:08

you know?

Katie 25:10

Yeah. Yeah, he kinda, he talks about how, th- and this was a point that I too was like, "Oh, mind blown," that the Bible doesn't create Christianity, Christianity created the Bible. 'Cause again, it was like

Chrissy 25:23

Ah.

Katie 25:23

idea of like the Christians coming together and then collecting of these writings

Chrissy 25:31

We were called Christians before the Bible was a thing

Katie 25:34

Exactly. And I was like, "That is really interesting." So it's like we aren't necessarily Christians because of the Bible, it's because of the and the, the trust that we have in the fact that Jesus died for our sins and rose again and defeated death. Like, that, like, that makes us a Christian, not necessarily the Bible. And so I don't know. There was just some, like,

Chrissy 25:58

Mm-hmm.

Katie 25:59

things that he was talking about that I'm like, "Huh,

Chrissy 26:02

sounds kind of like he's almost separating the word of God from God

Katie 26:08

And he, he does address that. I don't re- exactly remember what he says, but he just, he talks about that, the f- just the fact that inspiration, yes, it was, like, inspired, but it's like God inspired the people, and then he's like, "Who's to say that God didn't inspire the people that, like, then put the whole Bible together," right? It's

Chrissy 26:28

And I think they-- he did though

Katie 26:30

Exactly. So that's, like, kind of his point, is that, yes, obviously God created it, but through these

Chrissy 26:39

Yeah.

Katie 26:40

th- you

Chrissy 26:41

Interesting

Katie 26:42

it was, there were just so many things that, like, we listened to this book and we kept pausing it to discuss it so frequently,

Chrissy 26:48

Oh, I love books like that

Katie 26:50

it because there are so many things. Because, like, okay, I sing the song to Malachi, you know, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Chrissy 27:01

Oh

Katie 27:03

it, 'cause I'm like, "So what do I say if the Bible doesn't say that

Chrissy 27:06

Lord Jesus

Katie 27:07

me?"

Chrissy 27:07

tells me so

Katie 27:09

And so anyway, so he's like, "Well, you could say, like, the gospel tells me so," 'cause it's, like, the message of the gospel that really is... Anyway, ah, just, just, this just, like,

Chrissy 27:21

Hmm.

Katie 27:21

I like it because even though I didn't necessarily agree with all the things, it really just starts to get you thinking a little bit more outside the box. And

Chrissy 27:30

That is a new thing that I have come to appreciate. So growing up, I wasn't... This is a big difference between my education and Max's education. So Max had, like, every kind of education you can think of, private school, public school, home schooled. I don't think he ever went to a charter school, but all the different kinds of schools. I only went to public school. I was a public school child K through 12 all the way. And one significant difference that we had in our educations was Max, in high school, was taught how to read a piece of literature and disagree with it. I was not. I was taught how to read a piece of literature and explain it, but he was taught how to read it, disagree, and form your own argument against it. And he has since, like, kind of taught me a little bit how to do that, and I think that comes with just introducing me to books that I disagree with, you know? That I can read and be like, "Okay, I understand this point and I agree with that point, but this point, mm, I don't know about that." And it, books like that have really challenged my thinking and encouraged me to have a much deeper faith, honestly, because I'm like, "If all these people are, like, so educated and well-versed and things like that, and they're saying these things, I really gotta know what I believe and why I believe it." And so it, it encourages me to go back in scripture and to look at it and be like, "Okay, what does it say? Why does it say it? And how does that connect to one another? And how in the world does that affect me?" Because it's just so much more relevant to, more important to have my own opinions formed and my own stances formed on a firm foundation of the Bible. That way, when I do read things that I disagree with, I know why I'm disagreeing with it, you know? And it's not someone just saying a point of like, "Well, the Bible contradicts itself," and brings up scripture that sounds like it contradicts itself, and me being like, "Hmm, well, you kind of sound maybe correct here, but I, and I know you're not correct, but I can't really explain why." You know? Like, I wanna be able to explain it

Katie 30:11

one of the things that I also really liked about his book was he, 'cause he's, he was writing, he wrote this book specifically more to m- especially, like, the millennial population who have walked away from the Christian church because they, you know, have had people tell them, like, "Oh, well the Bible contradicts itself. Here are some examples."

Chrissy 30:33

Mm-hmm.

Katie 30:34

they say, "Well, here's, like, science, and here..." You know, they give them these other things that they can rely on. so in a very interesting position right now where some of our, like, our primary mission field here in America are not the unchurched, but the previously churched

Chrissy 30:52

Mm. That have left the church

Katie 30:54

left because they've found fault in the Bible itself. And his point is that he's like, the contradictions don't even matter when your hope is just solely on the resurrection. It's like, it, okay, did the, was the Earth created in seven days or not? He's like, "It doesn't even matter because at this point you only need to trust and believe in this one thing." And then it's like, you can have an opinion about these other matters, but it doesn't matter at the end of the day. And that's kind of like his whole point with the Old Testament. It's like, this is where I actually was like, "Oh, I really see where

Chrissy 31:34

Wait, but doesn't the Bible call us to like put, like to hold it up against other parts of the Bible and like, like judge for yourself, read for yourself, you know?

Katie 31:46

I think Paul actually is the one who says

Chrissy 31:47

Yeah

Katie 31:48

Stanley might have said that in his book because he, he loves the Apostle Paul in his book, and Wes was like, "This is a little suspicious because he only talks about the Apostle Paul." So that was, like, one part where we're like, "That's kind of weird." Um, but I do think that it is Paul that talks about, like, holding up scripture

Chrissy 32:05

See, I honestly disagree with that, because yes, like, our faith is the foundation, and yes, like, with our faith in Christ, like, nothing else really matters, but at the same time, theology is so important, and having correct theology is so important, and being able to explain your point is so important. Like, if we're walking around fully 100% believing in something that sounds like a whole load of kadoodle, then we're not gonna have reliability and, like, we're not gonna be justified in our arguments, you know? Like,

Katie 32:42

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 32:43

God is a very logical God, you know? He's not just the emotional God. Yes, there is an emotional attachment there, and there's the emotional faith that comes with it of like, "Wow, I'm feeling the presence of God. This is amazing," but there's also, like, a very serious level of logic there that, like, God created logic and God created math and God created physics and God created science, and, like, how can we see all of these things in scripture, and how do we see all of these things working in our own lives? And then how does that knowledge and the connections of, like, the truths that we observe in scripture, because scripture does say that it is true, like objective truth. And so if we don't believe that it's objective truth, then we can't believe anything that's in it, because it would all just completely be folly, you know? But the Bible says it is 100% inerrantly true. And so if we're going to believe that, then we have to believe the logical points behind it, and those help us to establish our argument against those who are trying to argue against us, you know?

Katie 33:57

Yeah. You'll have to go and read the book. He does a better job of explaining

Chrissy 34:01

probably do.

Katie 34:02

I'm... It was actually really good. I, I wanna go and reread it because it, it was the, the first book in a while that really made me stop and think deeply. Like, a lot of books, I'm like, "Wow, that was really good. I liked that," and I learn bits and pieces, but that book was one of those that I'm like, "Wow." And that was the first in a while. The other book, m- more recently, and this was a few years ago, is called Getting Over Yourself, and it's just the idea of, like, how Christianity has made... has become very self-focused. And, uh, and it basically talks about how we've... we're all, here in America, we all fall for a part of the prosperity gospel, and it's something that I'm a... I've always been like, "No," like, "There's no way I fall for the prosperity gospel." But the way that he explains it in that book, you're just like, "Oh, no.

Chrissy 34:53

Oh, I definitely have at times.

Katie 34:55

yeah,

Chrissy 34:56

Yeah

Katie 34:57

here in America, we all, we all do." And so

Chrissy 35:00

Hard not to

Katie 35:00

definitely one of those gut-wrenching books where I was just like, "Ugh, that hurts." But it was really good.

Chrissy 35:05

Interesting.

Katie 35:06

that one.

Chrissy 35:07

I'll add it to my list

Katie 35:09

books that I disagree with, w- a book that's on my reading list that I came across when I was looking at books to read soon, it's, it's been on my reading list for a while, but I'm nervous to read it, but it's, it's a book by Bill Gates,

Chrissy 35:23

Oh boy

Katie 35:24

it's How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.

Chrissy 35:30

So

Katie 35:31

all about, like, climate change and stuff, and

Chrissy 35:35

it sounds like he, he knows how climate change is happening.

Katie 35:38

Exactly. So anyway, I'm like, At this point, and I'm, I am, like, totally fine saying this be- and I know that people are probably gonna be like, "Oh my gosh," but I totally believe that global warming is a complete hoax and that climate change is controlled and all this stuff. There's, there's so much evidence now for it that it's, like, kind of wild that more people don't necessarily see it. So

Chrissy 36:08

I think I agree with you that it's a very controlled process.

Katie 36:12

Yes. So,

Chrissy 36:14

yeah

Katie 36:15

I'm, I really wanna read this book because I wanna see what he has to say about it, because

Chrissy 36:20

They're just gonna make you mad though?

Katie 36:22

like... Yeah, I feel like it really will make me

Chrissy 36:24

I, there are

Katie 36:25

I'm just so curious. I've never read, like, any of his stuff,

Chrissy 36:28

Really? There's definitely some books out there that I'm like, I like to listen to books while I'm driving to my patients' houses,

Katie 36:35

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 36:35

there are some that I'm like, "I just can't listen to this on my way to work," because then I get to my patient's house and I'm just, like, angry. And they're like, "What's your problem?" "I just listened to a book that just made me so mad."

Katie 36:46

control when you listen to it so that you won't,

Chrissy 36:50

Yes.

Katie 36:50

in the line of fire after you

Chrissy 36:52

Exactly. Exactly. So Katie, what is the... Let's actually in the last 20 minutes of this episode talk about the crunchy things that we're learning instead of just like conspiracy and government and stuff and stuff

Katie 37:06

well it did start with my parasites,

Chrissy 37:08

It did

Katie 37:09

I mean, but I will say that if you join a lot of crunchy groups, people talk about this stuff all the time. So I

Chrissy 37:14

Oh yeah, it's, it's all very connected.

Katie 37:16

yes,

Chrissy 37:17

sure. For sure. Um, but what is, like, the most recent change that you've made or habit that you've started or thing that you've done that you've implemented?

Katie 37:30

Yeah. I'm actually... Have you heard of the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge?

Chrissy 37:38

No, but that sounds fantastic

Katie 37:40

Yeah, so there's a lady, she has a podcast too. I think she was on Clark's, like, Culture Apothecary podcast a while

Chrissy 37:48

Hmm.

Katie 37:48

that's where I heard of her originally. Maybe not, maybe somewhere. But this lady has this challenge of getting outside for 1,000 hours in the, the year, I heard about this challenge a while back, and I've been really wanting to do it. But then I did the math on, and, like, on average, you have to get outside every day of the year for about, like, two to three hours,

Chrissy 38:11

Mm-hmm

Katie 38:12

like, kinda doesn't sound like a lot. But then when you're like, "If I work," or if it's freezing cold out, I'm not gonna go outside for two to three hours if

Chrissy 38:22

Yeah

Katie 38:23

And I mean, here in Michigan, it is so cold through the winter that is... There are several weeks where I barely go outside.

Chrissy 38:31

I wonder if you could offset that with, like, the summertime, being outside, like, six hours a day in the summer and then, like, not during the winter. But if you have a full-time job and you work inside, that's so impossible

Katie 38:45

we went camping this past week, and I started doing the math, because when I was thinking about it, I'm like, "Wow, when we're camping, we're literally spending 24 full hours outside,"

Chrissy 38:56

Yeah

Katie 38:56

because it's, like, usually a full day on Friday, and we get there on Thursday, and we leave on Saturday. So it's about, like, 48-ish hours that we're outside straight. So I'm like, "That makes up a lot of the time that I wouldn't be getting in the winter." So I started doing some calculations on my phone. We were, like, sitting by the fire, and I'm just sitting there, like, pounding away at my phone. And Wes is kinda like, "What are you doing?" And I did the math to see, like, okay, if we go camping four times this summer, and then the days, too... Like, so on Sundays, Malachi and I usually spend the whole day outside in the afternoon, as long as the weather's good enough. And then during the week, in general, like, Tuesdays we're outside most of the day, and we're outside most of the day. So I was just, like, calculating based on, like, our just rough schedule that we have. And I was like, "I actually think I could do this." So I was doing all the math, and then it comes out that after the summertime and all the time we spend outside, we would have to spend on average, like, one hour per day outside. And I was like, "That's way more doable than, like, three hours outside on average the rest of the year." So I was like, "Okay, I think we could actually do this."

Chrissy 40:08

That's still a lot when it's like -20

Katie 40:10

yeah. So there'll be some days that it's like, "Oh, it's, it's above 40 degrees. Let's spend the whole day outside to catch up on our time." there's an app, like, a

Chrissy 40:20

Oh gosh, of course there's an app. There's an app for that

Katie 40:23

you have to pay for it. So

Chrissy 40:25

That's annoying

Katie 40:26

it, I'm literally using a spreadsheet right now to track our hours outside. And so since starting it only not even a full week ago, we've spent 50 hours outside.

Chrissy 40:37

That sounds like a lot of brain power. How much brain power are you putting towards this, Katie?

Katie 40:42

This is because I'm an Enneagram 3, and I like to achieve goals. And this is a great goal for me to achieve, because it's something that I care about. And I literally keep telling myself, "You track the things that you pri- like, you, that you care about the most." And, like, when you track things, they, you usually do it more.

Chrissy 41:00

That's true

Katie 41:01

find that that's what happens when I read my Bible, is, like, if I'm tracking... Like, if you go on the Bible app, you know how it has, like, a streak counter on it

Chrissy 41:09

Mm-hmm

Katie 41:10

like, how many days you check in to, like, g- getting on your Bible? That kind of stuff, like, keeps me going and, like, just literally checking off boxes. And sometimes you're like, "Oh, well, you're doing it just to check off the box." Yes, but at the same time, it's creating this consistent habit for me to, like, do

Chrissy 41:27

You know, that is,

Katie 41:28

you measure is, like, what you do,

Chrissy 41:30

that is one thing my friend told me in high school. I was like, "How do I, like, create a desire to read my Bible? 'Cause I feel like right now it's just, like, something I do because I'm supposed to." And they were like... She said, "Well, oftentimes, like, reading your Bible or doing these spiritual disciplines and things like that really does start as a discipline." You know, it starts as a very regimented, I am spending this time to do this item, and I'm not going to get distracted. And eventually, as you start doing that, it, like, the desire to do it builds. Similar, similarly to, um, working out, you know? Like, you start working out. You're like, "I'm going to go Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and this will happen." And then eventually you start, like, desiring to go to the gym at that time. It's just like you, you have to, like, discipline the rewiring of your brain to then desire it more so

Katie 42:26

It totally works for me and,

Chrissy 42:28

I'm glad.

Katie 42:29

when, when I was trying to do the, Bible recap.

Chrissy 42:33

Oh, yeah

Katie 42:34

when I was doing that this past year, 'cause I finished that. It was the full year, the f- the full Bible in one year, and it really did... Like, in the beginning, I was, like, just doing it because I was like, "Yeah, I should just keep doing this." But then partly through the year, I was, like, really enjoying it. There were days that I'm like, "I really... I should just do this because I need to get it checked off." But it would always follow up with, like, getting back into the rhythm of, like, desiring to do it. And

Chrissy 43:01

Mm-hmm.

Katie 43:02

yeah, it is. You kinda have to, like, push through those, like, moments of like, "I don't really wanna do this, but I

Chrissy 43:07

Yeah.

Katie 43:07

it

Chrissy 43:08

It's like the habit formation

Katie 43:10

But honestly, it's like I feel like all of life is like that. It...

Chrissy 43:13

Yes

Katie 43:15

especially when you're married, like, yes, there's the part of your marriage in the beginning where you're like, "I love you and I wanna do everything and spend every hour with each other." But then as you get further on in your marriage, you're like, "I kinda don't like you that much all the time." like we're just neighbors basically, like, just hanging out.

Chrissy 43:32

Max will come up to me. Max literally, he's so good at identifying when that happens. He says, "Chrissy, we have become roommates and we are no longer spouses at this point, and we need to fix it." And so usually that is followed by like a whole afternoon of just like spending time together and being intentional and things like that. But yeah, when the relationship

Katie 43:53

your little baby comes along and it's not as easy

Chrissy 43:56

not

Katie 43:57

then you have to plan around having children around and stuff. It,

Chrissy 44:02

Yes. But pre-baby.

Katie 44:05

more sweet, so

Chrissy 44:06

Yes, pre-baby, Max is just so good at identifying when our relationship feels more like roommates than

Katie 44:12

Yeah,

Chrissy 44:13

husband and wife. Yeah. Yeah.

Katie 44:17

what else, what are you doing right now?

Chrissy 44:19

What have I been learning? Oh my goodness. I, I'm afraid to touch on this topic, but, you know, we're kinda bound to touch on this topic eventually on this podcast. I'm not gonna go super into it, but I have been deep diving on vaccines. Your face is like, "Oh, I know, you're gonna say it. You're gonna say it."

Katie 44:38

I'm like literally over here like making this crazy face

Chrissy 44:41

You

Katie 44:41

knew

Chrissy 44:41

are

Katie 44:42

where you were going. And I also know because you've been like texting me and talking to me about it

Chrissy 44:47

Yeah, I've been asking you a lot of questions.

Katie 44:49

an idea that that's where you were

Chrissy 44:50

Yes, yes. So I have been, I, I actually went out, I told Max, I was like, "One of the, my favorite things in the world is a brand-new five-star, five-subject college-ruled notebook." I went out and bought myself one specifically, 'cause I also have started taking just some online Bible classes just to, like, learn how to interpret scripture better and understand scripture. So I was like, "Okay, so I have four Bible classes, and I'm researching all these vaccines, and this is a five-star subject notebook. Perfect." So anyways, yeah. So I am really doing a deep dive into, like, one vaccine a week pretty much, and I'm using a bunch of different resources. I'm looking at, like, all of the things, like pro-vaccine, anti-vaccine, neutral vaccine, like, across the board. I haven't read any books yet, just because with this Bible class, I, like, have to read a butt-ton, literally, like, 618 pages of books, and I'm like, "Guys, I read at the speed of a kindergartner. This is hard." Um, and they're not e- they're not audiobooks, which makes it even more difficult. Like, I have to actually sit and read the book. So anyways,

Katie 46:14

Wait,

Chrissy 46:15

what?

Katie 46:16

second. Did you see Alex Clark's recent email? Are you on her email list?

Chrissy 46:19

I am not on her email list

Katie 46:21

Okay, maybe I'll forward you this

Chrissy 46:24

Oh no

Katie 46:25

help you appreciate reading because

Chrissy 46:28

Well, I do, I do appreciate reading. It just takes me a long time

Katie 46:31

The long story short is that there's, like, all these studies about how America has, like, not only lost its desire, but basically it's, like, learning... It's losing its literacy in general

Chrissy 46:44

Yes

Katie 46:45

stops to, like, read things anymore except for, like, captions and quotes on things.

Chrissy 46:51

Or the titles

Katie 46:52

people don't read books or articles or newspapers really as much. And it's, it... I always try to have a, like, one audiobook going and then one physical book

Chrissy 47:05

Hmm.

Katie 47:07

because I've, I've s- I've noticed that because I'm like, "Oh, I really like audiobooks," but I'm like, "I really should just keep my mind sharp and read physical books." So anyway, she mentions that in her most recent

Chrissy 47:17

Although they have actually,

Katie 47:19

books."

Chrissy 47:19

they have done studies though in like the way that your brain processes an audiobook versus a physical book is actually very similar in like the processing brainwaves of it

Katie 47:34

I don't know if I would say that's true for me.

Chrissy 47:36

Really?

Katie 47:37

Yeah, I definitely retain the information from a physically read book

Chrissy 47:43

So that's different. That's like learning styles. I'm talking more so like what part of the brain lights up when you're listening to an audiobook versus reading a book-book, and it's like pretty much the same part of the brain is lighting up when you're doing those two things. But if you have a different learning style, like more of a visual learner than an auditory learner, then you tend to learn differently obviously, so

Katie 48:14

Interesting.

Chrissy 48:15

Yeah.

Katie 48:16

okay,

Chrissy 48:16

anyways, back to my, my vaccine things. I'm doing a crazy ton of research about, like, rate, the rate of illness of, like, the, the disease the vaccine prote- protects against, the rate of vaccine injury from said particular vaccine, the ingredients that are used in all of the vaccines, and particularly, like, also what you can do to detox some of the ingredients, because I would not ca- classify myself as an anti-vaxxer, nor would I prot- classify myself as a pro-vaxxer. I'm a very, like, neutral kind of middle of the way. Like, there's definitely some that we'll probably do and some that we'll probably stay away from. Um, and because we travel so much, that kind of increases the need to have more vaccines, unfortunately, in my opinion. Um, but also doing research of, like, okay, why do countries like Denmark and Japan have, A, no vaccine mandates, B, higher vaccination rates than America, and C, lower chronic disease rates? And part of it is like, okay, they have a homogenous society. We have to take that into account because that, like, as much as we try to say, like, humans are all the same, you know, we all have eyes, lips, nose, mouth, tongue, ears, hair, you know, like, biologically, we all react differently to different treatments and different diseases, and we all have different predisposed genetic components that could make us more or less susceptible to something. So with that in mind, but I'm just, like, asking all the questions of, like, why are their chronic disease rates so low? And I, I do have a firm belief that the chronic disease rates in America are somewhat linked to vaccines. I don't think vaccines are, like, the whole answer because our food industry is just so w- wildly crazy. I think that's how I'm gonna say it. Um- Wildly crazy. Yes. Um, but I do think vaccines do have a component to that. And so I'm just, like, learning and asking all of the hard-to-answer questions. Um, for those of our listeners who want to also do the learning, I am not going to expose my opinions on here because I feel like my opinions might be quite controversial, although you could probably guess some of them. I have been lis- looking at a website, it's called Just the Inserts. So it's a website that goes through, like, pretty much all the vaccines on the childhood schedule, plus, like, erythromycin, vitamin K, blah, blah, blah, like interventions and things like that, and gets the package insert, like the warning label that comes with all of these vaccines, you know? And so you look at the warning label and it says, okay, there's a risk of encephal- encephalopathy, there's a risk of anaphylaxis, there's a risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, like all of these crazy risks. And then there's mild risks, like ez- eczema or rashes or itching or pain at the injection site, and I'm like, "No duh, you're gonna have pain at the injection-- Everyone has pain in the injection site. You stick a needle in me and put water in there, I'm gonna have pain in the injection site." Like, that's just how it is. But, um, yeah, so looking through, like, the rate of all of those risks that come along with the disease, plus the rate of the disease itself. So I've been looking at Just the Inserts. I have also been using, um, Katie the PA, sh- Katie Collins. She is very um, out there

Katie 52:29

like

Chrissy 52:29

on Facebook and Instagram, and she goes like, she has like three-minute videos, so they're very easy to absorb, but she goes through research studies, and she goes through risks, and she goes through rates, and she goes through ingredients and everything like that, like in each of those vaccines. And the nice thing about her Instagram page is she has all of these reels like separated out, so you can choose like, "Okay, today I am focusing on MMR, and that's what I'm focusing on, and this is what I'm, all I'm gonna learn about it." Um, so I really appreciate all of that that I've been learning. One thing that I have learned that has really made me kind of upset because I, so frequently, you know, America, Americans have been told, we've all been told like, "Vaccines have been studied. They are safe and effective. They, studies have been done. There's no reason for concern for long-term issues," things like that. But the reality is there has not actually been placebo studies with vaccines because it's seen as, quote-unquote, "unethical" to have a group of people get a placebo and not be protected against a, quote, "deadly disease," which mind you, for reference, a lot of these diseases that we're trying to protect against are not actually deadly.

Katie 53:48

Mm-hmm

Chrissy 53:49

like chickenpox and measles are, like yeah, shingles can give you nerve damage, but like, I, yeah. Anyways, So they haven't been placebo studied, and oftentimes the, like say for instance, the TDAP vaccine has been trialed against the TD vaccine, and they realized that there was no significant increase in the risk of autism or other chronic diseases, um, with the TDAP versus the TD vaccine. I did actually see, I think, I think it was in just the inserts. There was one vaccine, I want to say maybe it was TDAP actually, that in a European country that I am forgetting which European country it was. They actually did do a... No, it wasn't TDAP. It was, The, what's the other one that's recommended during pregnancy? Flu, COVID, TDAP, and RSV. RSV, that's the one I was looking at. Um, they did do a study of placebo versus vaccinated in, I'm gonna say Denmark. I think it was Denmark. And they did actually find that the rate of miscarriage among women who received the RX- RSV vaccine versus those who did not receive any vaccine during pregnancy was higher. And so, um, that in and of itself, I, like, I love the fact that we have, like, one study at least that we can go off of. And, um, like this study is on the insert for the RSV vaccine. Like, I'm not saying crazy controversial information. Like, it's on the insert. If you open the box and look at it, it's there.

Katie 55:54

Which is like, it's government information. It's like public, quote-unquote public knowledge

Chrissy 55:58

Yes

Katie 55:59

can, like, go and access online

Chrissy 56:02

Yes

Katie 56:03

So it's, like, not... It's, it's somewhat difficult to find, but it's not Like, anybody could go and

Chrissy 56:11

You have to do the right clicks. But once, once you do the l- the digging and take the time to do it, you can find it.

Katie 56:17

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 56:18

so yeah, I'm just learning a lot and making a lot of decisions. I'm running all of it by Max, and he is so not a science guy. And so I'm explaining all of these risks and things that could happen, and this, that, and like encephalopathy and anaphylaxis, and he's like, "Huh? What are these huge words?" And I'm like, "Oh, encephalopathy

Katie 56:40

You're like,

Chrissy 56:40

is swelling of

Katie 56:40

these

Chrissy 56:41

the brain." I'm like, "That's swelling of the brain. It can kill you." And he's like, "Oh, that's not good." So, um, yeah, just learning a lot, and my brain is kind of blown. And I'm just... I think my biggest question right now that still lingers is like what is it about these other countries that, like, even though they have a higher vaccination rate, they still have a lower chronic disease rate? And I think my answer is probably the food. Like, that food is responsible for a lot of it, but I don't really know yet

Katie 57:17

the actual vaccine schedule? Like, when they're receiving them, how many they're receiving at

Chrissy 57:22

Ooh,

Katie 57:23

I

Chrissy 57:23

that's a good point

Katie 57:25

think that has something to do with it, that, uh, and I, this is me just throwing something out there. I feel like I've heard this before, that they space vaccines out so that they're not getting, like, all of them at the same time like we

Chrissy 57:40

Hmm.

Katie 57:41

with babies and children

Chrissy 57:43

I do remember one time in, like,

Katie 57:46

and

Chrissy 57:46

think it was junior high or high school, I got four shots at once, two in each arm. And I actually passed out when that happened. Like,

Katie 57:56

Ugh.

Chrissy 57:58

flat on the table. They caught me 'cause I almost fell off the table. And I really just wonder, like, was that passing out merely just me, like, being afraid of needles, which is a reality for me? Or was it, like, an actually a effect from the vaccine? Because syncope, passing out, is a side effect of some vaccines.

Katie 58:24

Yeah

Chrissy 58:24

So yeah, some things just make you say, "Hmm."

Katie 58:29

Lot of, lot of questions. Again, it

Chrissy 58:31

Yes

Katie 58:33

circles all back

Chrissy 58:34

And unfortunately,

Katie 58:36

why?

Chrissy 58:37

no clear answers. And the hard part is when you get into the crunchy world, you start asking the question why. And I have learned the question why can be quite dangerous. And two-year-olds know this question very, very well. And I think adults need to learn from our two-year-old counterparts that the question why is very important to truly actually taking charge of your health and your wellness and knowing what you're putting into your body and why you're doing it and what's the reason behind it. Because ultimately, if it's just to make your doctor feel better about themselves, m- then personally I don't feel compelled to do it.

Katie 59:26

Mm-hmm.

Chrissy 59:27

So,

Katie 59:27

Yep

Chrissy 59:27

but then from my nurse's perspective, I'm like, "Ugh, when patients say no to things that are just normal and status quo, it just causes a lot of paperwork, and it's annoying." So

Katie 59:38

Yeah

Chrissy 59:39

there's that perspective too. And I, working in healthcare, I do understand that perspective because I, I have had a patient who is in a situation where, like, the standard is to take warfarin. And she did a bunch of research on warfarin, and its, um, remedy, so to say, is vitamin K. But she was like, "I think leafy greens are very important to my health, and I want to continue eating leafy greens. And so I am not going to take warfarin." And the doctor's like, "You have to take warfarin." She said, "How about Eliquis?" Because she, she really does need to be on a blood thinner because of her condition. And after quite a bit of back and forth with her doctor, she finally convinced them to let her go on Eliquis instead. And so I think it really just does come with a lot of intentionality, a lot of personal research, a lot of knowing what you're talking about and being confident in what you're talking about because unfortunately, a lot of these things are going to be met with a lot of backlash. And so, yeah, that's where I'm at

Katie 1:00:53

I mean, it, I feel like that really ties up all of our conversations today. First, we have to get better at reading in

Chrissy 1:01:01

Yes.

Katie 1:01:02

We just need to read and educate ourselves as much as we can without overwhelming ourselves. We need to see both sides of the argument, so we have to read things that we don't always agree with, and start to understand why people are saying certain things a certain way, and that goes for our faith and for our health as well. yeah, just asking those questions why. And sometimes you go down these crazy rabbit holes where you realize that it's because everybody, there's people that are in control, and you just have any control yourself even though they want to make you think that you do. And so anyway, it's, you do what you can, and you trust the Lord with the rest. And it's like what I like to say when I'm eating things that I don't necessarily love eating, but I'm like, "Lord, use this terrible food right now to nourish my body and just bless me as, right now because that's all I have right now. This, this is, this is the meal before me, and I need to take it in and be grateful for what I have, and be content in all situations." So it's not easy, and I don't know. Sometimes Chrissy and I come on here and talk about all the things that we're learning and doing, and maybe it sounds to people like we have it all put together. But

Chrissy 1:02:26

Nope

Katie 1:02:27

just continuously asking questions, and stumbling through it, and s- like Google searching our way through so much of it sometimes. yeah, and I'll let you know how the parasite cleanse goes once I do it, but it will be in a, what, like two weeks, so it'll be a few conversations from now once I have some evidence of that.

Chrissy 1:02:49

I'm looking forward to it.

Katie 1:02:51

yeah,

Chrissy 1:02:51

I love it

Katie 1:02:52

know of all your vaccine things too, and if anybody has

Chrissy 1:02:57

Yes

Katie 1:02:58

further, come join us over on our Facebook group, Crunchy Christian Mamas on a Budget, or send us an email at welcome@crunchystewardship.com.

Chrissy 1:03:08

you just forget our email address?

Katie 1:03:10

Yeah, I'm like, what, what is our email? Anyway, there you go. Please feel free to reach out. We love having these conversations and would love to talk more with you.

Chrissy 1:03:19

Yeah.

Katie 1:03:20

why don't you take us out?

Chrissy 1:03:22

As you go through this week, remember that whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. We'll see you guys next time. Thanks for listening to Crunchy Stewardship