Caryn Sullivan, Author at Pretty Wellness

Posted on February 17, 2015February 17, 2017 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Cancer Chronicles, Cancer Resources, Cancer

Chemotherapy Tips: Me, Kev, Two Nurses and an IV

I wasn’t scared of the painful side effects from surgery.

I wasn’t scared of fatigue and emotional drain from a packed schedule of cancer doctor appointments.

I wasn’t scared of humongous machines filled with radiation.

And I wasn’t scared of chemotherapy … I was petrified.

When I was first diagnosed, I only knew a few people who went through cancer treatment. And I didn’t know much about their experiences, so I really had no idea what to expect. I feared the worst when I was told I needed chemo; my stomach sank and anxiety filled my chest. I imaged myself regularly hugging a toilet, unable to leave the house and participate in life for 16 weeks of treatment. But this wasn’t my experience at all. In fact, my first chemo treatment was just me, my husband, two nurses and an IV.

Posted on February 15, 2015February 19, 2015 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Weekly RoundUp

Health & Wellness News & Info. Recap, Week Ending 2/15

The web was appropriately filled with love stories and healthy heart recipes this week in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Stories have also focused on heart healthy initiatives honoring February as “Heart Health Month.” In other weekly wellness news around the web, the “Food Babe” released her first book and The Huffington Post gave us some tips on building a hazard-proof home. Below are some of the highlights.

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in As Seen On, Non-Toxic Beauty, YouTube, Wellness Wednesday

All-Natural Beauty: DIY Deep Hair Conditioner

I’ve enjoyed playing with make-up and hair since I was a little girl. I still love beauty products, so made an event out of throwing out my old school cosmetics for new clean and green ones. Since I’ve changed my lifestyle to eliminate toxins, I’ve come to appreciate all the many organic and natural products with few ingredients. At first, I scrutinized ingredients myself, then looked to well-credentialed sources like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. This is a fun adventure, but also can be time consuming and pricey. So, I set out to create some of my own. This short video demonstrates how to make a deep hair conditioner using only three ingredients.

All-Natural Beauty: DIY Deep Hair Conditioner

Have you ever created your own beauty products? If so, please share. If not, what is stopping you?

Posted on February 10, 2015December 31, 2017 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Recipes, Clean Eating

Easy Recipe: Carrot Cake Muffins

For as long as I can remember, my mother touted the health benefits of carrots. She’d remind me how she used to eat them as a baby until her nose turned orange. Wanting to insert my own independence, I naturally stayed away from root vegetables for years. Then one fancy dinner in adulthood, I sampled a carrot cake and never looked back. I thought the creamy sweet cream cheese frosting perfectly balanced the cinnamon spiced cake. Now in my quest to eat clean, I’ve stayed away from frosted cakes. But while recently attending an open house at my son’s school, I was introduced to baked spice muffins that reminded me of carrot cakes. So inspired by the creation, I spent a few snow days in the kitchen to find my own sweet spot muffin recipe.

Posted on February 9, 2015February 22, 2015 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Weekly RoundUp

Health & Wellness News & Info. Recap, Week Ending 2/8

Whether you’re a Patriots, Seahawks or just a Super Bowl party fan, it’s easy to get sidelined from healthy habits during February. Valentine’s Day and winter break also ring in reasons to celebrate. This week’s recap is heavy on the clean-eating news, but also included a few other insightful posts about taking small steps toward better health.

CLEAN EATING

No Boxed Mac-N-Cheese at the White House:
Michelle Obama proclaims cheese powder is not food: Since she advocates a clean diet, she couldn’t possibly let the first daughters eat processed cheese powder.

Petition to remove BHT from Cereals:
We all can learn a thing or two from Vani Hari aka “The Food Babe”. She’s spent years researching ingredients in products, then activating social media petitions to motivate the food industry to remove harmful chemicals out of their food. This week, her petition to remove BHT from cereals caught the eyes of two major food companies.

Posted on February 2, 2015December 31, 2017 by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Clean Eating, Recipes, Weekly RoundUp

Clean Eating Recipes: What I’m Eating Now

As a “student of life,” I love to analyze what’s being talked about in the health category and whether it can benefit my own as well as the general public’s well-being. The past four years, creating simple clean recipes has been a focus in my life. The more I read about eating a whole food, plant-based diet, the more I’m convinced I feel great because I’m taking care of myself. Many people diet, eliminate the “bad guy” aka sugar and refined carbs, only to find after a few weeks they go back to their normal eating patterns. I’m here to show others how to take small steps toward healthier living.