There's so much going on here, so much to keep up with. Everyone has a huge need at the moment, which is not an easy situation for a mommy.

The boys new homepathic consult comes up in another week & a half; they seem to be past the point of any more "clearing" activity, hopefully.

Big Guy had similar issues as last month, such as heavy wetting, some diarrhea, & a few meltdowns. Lately he's just been very giddy & loud (stimmy noises) at times. He's been a lot more "huggy". There are times I see a positive difference in his demeanor. It's not always, but it's there.

Little Guy also had a similar reaction as last month, although not great. Last month he started refusing his remedies, but he got past that with some persistence & took them fairly easily again. This month he's decided he no longer wants his goat yogurt in the morning, which is the only way I could get vitamins in him. I had also hid (he did know they were there actually but never minded) them in applesauce, so he doesn't want that anymore either.

Needless to say I was not pleased. Many of his vits & supps have been rather helpful, with his autistic behaviors & health-wise. For the  past couple of days I've been able to put them in a little juice & use a dropper to get them down him. He's not taking them happily, but at least he's getting some of them; I'm picking the ones I think are most beneficial at this point.

One odd thing is he's running up to me for the remedies now! Some might recall he used to run from me when this first started, so this is a major positive thing which I do hope continues!

And thankfully his support remedies cover the bases all the vits & supps were meant to as well, so I guess that has kept him above water. Some have even mentioned him maybe not needing all the ones he used to get, now that he's so well supported homeopathically, which may be true too; we'll certainly discuss all this next consult.

So far he has not had any respitory reactions (praise God!), which he's been on a support remedy to prevent. I think he's past the point of concern now, hopefully, but I'll keep giving him that remedy for a few more days full strength, then taper off a bit. It's not the last time we'll have that concern though; he has more clearings of that nature coming up, even bigger than this past month.

This week has been more taxing for me, in that I've been preparing for a little birthday party for the babies, who will turn one year next week (stay tuned for more info with pics!). I enjoy it, but at the same time it's tough right now, especially not knowing how the boys will handle it all. I prepared ahead, ordering in all the presents, as well as Little Guy's since he will be 3 soon after. Today I was able to get some much needed cleaning done, as the babies were a little more patient this morning then they have been lately. I haven't been able to complete lesson plans for next week yet though, & doubt I'll get to it before the weekend now. It's probably fine though, as at this point I'll not be starting Butterfly's new program for another week, & haven't made any changes for Storyman yet. Their work has been light lately, which they should enjoy while it lasts!

The days will be getting very full shortly. We still need to complete the next module for RDI training; Mike finally caught up to me. I will try to get to that Sunday probably. I'm also trying to implement Floortime for Little Guy, which seemed more appropriate for him given his younger age & ability to be engaged a bit easier than Big Guy at this point. More on that soon...

The Ladybugs are doing well, even though they are very tiny girls. Ladybug I has had a growth issue, which I've spoken to my natural practitioner about. Being she's doing great developmentally she's not concerned. However, I went ahead & did a consult with a classical homepath for her. He's chosen a remedy that really encompasses several things that are applicable to her, especially since teething has really interfered with good nursing the past few months. I pray that & tweaking my nursing style will help. It should come in next week.

Neither baby is in the least bit interested in solid foods. I've tried about 3 times, with the least allergenic foods, & there were no takers. A couple of times maybe 2 little bites went down but that was it. The last time I took anything out Ladybug I actually cried at the sight of it, so that was it. They are clearly telling me they are not ready, & being we are a food allergy family I respect those cues. Butterfly didn't want a thing to do with solids until she was 15 months old, & she was very tiny until she was over 2, then her growth took off. Turns out she had a severe, epipen worthy nut allergy & a dairy allergy (although not as severe, it does make her sick).  Babies know best, & will protect themselves as best they can.

The homepath consulted also felt there was no reason they need to eat at this age, being they are nursed, & we don't want to encourage weaning as all my kiddos regressed upon weaning. They need the protection for a good while as they grow. I'll periodically give it a try here & there with different low allergy foods, & eventually they will show me they are ready to eat. In the meantime they will go back for their one year checkup with our natural family doctor, I'll give the remedy to Ladybug I & probably do another consult at some point for her sister (as finances allow). ALL the kiddos need this intervention, so we'll take it a little at a time as we can right now.

I need more reading time, for autism, health, Biblical living, etc... If I get my vitamins in me it's a good day! I've also got to eat better; lots of protein I'm told. I should probably stop eating cereal for meals so often, even though they're gluten free with goat milk...it's just easy & fast. It may be handling the remedies, as I've heard sometimes the parents feel stuff too, but I've been a lot achier lately & more tired. It definitely feels like the EBV is flaring. My blood work earlier this year showed some pretty bad inflammation. My Vitamin D levels were almost zero; not good. I keep forgetting to take that supplement as well. Now the MB12 shots are giving me welts; can't figure that one out, but I've been skipping it & I need that one too. Mom comes last, but mom can't wear out because everyone needs mom!!

I've also been hearing so much bad news lately; so many people going through terrible traumas in their lives. It seems like many of us Christian women, in different ways, are going through various "valleys" these days. There is tremendous growth in the valley, as difficult as it is. At those really low moments, He quickly has me recall the many I'm praying for who are in such devastating circumstances, & I can come outside my own circumstances in prayer for them & thankfulness for all He's doing for us. I also know there are many praying for us too, & I'm so thankful for them as well.

We had a bit of a snag in our little homeschool last week when each of us came down with a virus, one by one as it usually happens here. It started with Butterfly. She had a fever, a bit of vomitting & lethargy for one day. By that evening she was eating lightly, the next day eating better still, & by day 3 she was fine again. Of course I was concerned for the others. Ladybug I had a little fever & lethargy next, but she nursed well, slept a lot & was better by the next day.

Ladybug II didn't fare quite as well, & neither did Little Guy. She got it first, again it started with a fever & lethargy; she did nurse but her fever tended to go up higher than her sister's. That same day Little Guy started to wheeze a bit. This always means if not "checked" he could end up with bronchiolitis & an ER visit; a big step back in his treatments.

By dinnertime that day Ladybug II had vomitted twice & Little Guy had 2 neb treatments at home. Finally, I thought, we need help. So what did I do? I emailed several Christian friends for prayer covering! Often I don't get responses right away, but this time they started coming back almost immediately. I'm also not kidding when I say both Ladybug II & Little Guy turned a corner for the better as soon as I started hearing back from people that they were praying. Prayer works! He was listening, & He answered, praise God!

They needed a bit more time to recover fully. Little Guy has a bit of a cough, but it's only here & there & not bothering him at all. The babies are recovered but teething & needy! Big Guy had a sore throat for a couple of days, but otherwise he was good & aside from one meal, kept eating normally. Their daddy felt under the weather for a few days, & I'm still nursing an icky cough & wishing my throat & voice to be normal again & stop sounding like a 30yr smoker.

"Treatment", other than Little Guy's 2 neb's, were to keep up with our vitamins & to make sure everyone continued to get their OLE. I do feel the big antivirals we take like OLE, lysine, & C, helped make our illness less severe & shorter lived. I gave a touch to the babies as well; for fevers I use the homeopathic Belladona. Big Guy has the biggest antiviral armor these days, & he had the least problems. Butterfly refused her vitamins for a day or two, & her problems lingered longer. Sometimes, when viral folks take antivirals, it can bring them out & a short illness can occur. That may or may not have happened; it's tough to tell. Thankfully, it's passed for now.

Otherwise we're well & back to work this week.

This week Storyman & Butterfly saw the dentist for their checkups & cleanings. I found a new dentist through an online autism support group in the next county; turns out he was right in our town. He was great with the kids & respectful of our choices.

We don't use flouride; it's a major toxin. Our natural family doctor is very against the use of flouride treatments & in toothpaste. This dentist was fine with that, & even showed us pictures of people who had taken vitamins with flouride (typically given to infants) who now had discolored teeth due to too much flouride. I strongly recommend this great article on flouride, as well as this info & book recommendation here. Tom's & Nature's Gate make great toothpastes without flouride. Xylitol is a great ingredient to look for to build up teeth, although it usually comes in a minty flavor (not the kiddos fav).

Back to the visit... Butterfly was a bit wierded out by this funny & fast moving dentist, but she did great as usual. She has some overcrowding of baby teeth that need to come out, but he'll just keep an eye on it for now. She had no cavities. A high point for Butterfly was receiving the pretty pink balloon afterward (she's their friend now). Each of them also received two gold coins to put in the treat machine afterward (no candy of course). She chose a stretchy frog & pink horse. Storyman chose a glow in the dark eyeball  but decided to keep his other coin for play at home (good choice).

Storyman has had some bad dental experiences in past. He could have used a spacer as a little guy, after a dentist pulled a tooth rather then trying to save it. After interviewing several dentists who were split right down the middle as to whether the spacer was needed or not we decided against it, mostly due to the nickel it was made out of which is an allergen, & because we had a very skiddish kiddo.

Unfortunately the space closed up & now there is a tooth trapped under there. Fortunately there are baby teeth in the way. Unfortunately they must be removed. He also had a small cavity.

Storyman has brushed & flossed regularly for years, however he's suffered with many cavities. No, he doesn't eat or drink a lot of candy & sugar, & flouride use would not help. Genetics do play a part in "bad teeth". I was a flouride user for many years & have several fillings in my teeth to show for it & so does his daddy (amalgams too, even worse - mercury). However, a big cavity causer are starches - bread, pasta etc, & he is our "starchiest" kiddo in terms of diet. He's doing better though, & got by with just a small cavity this time. Most of the ones he suffered were in baby teeth, so his big teeth are doing well so far (although I'd love to get him off of all the breads he loves to eat!).

By the way, if you need a filling, PLEASE ask for composites, which is a plastic of sorts, NEVER let them put amalgams in your teeth; they are mercury!! Some dentists still use them. I would run far & fast from those dentists. Plastic, although not great, is the MUCH lesser of the evils.

In terms of the overcrowding, our old dentist was in a major rush to get braces on Storyman. I discussed this with our present dentist, since I had never understood why they would put braces on a kiddo who doesn't even have all his big teeth yet. This dentist confirmed it's all a business (gee, go figure). They get them on the kids, they must come back every few weeks, then every 6m, then they get them removed, then once the big teeth come in they need them again. Wow; they're making a lot more money now aren't they?!

This dentist has a much more reasonable plan of action. Get rid of the overcrowding (no that won't be too pleasant but I think this guy is up for the challenge), then put that spacer in, which he says is made out of stainless. Either that changed or he has something different, but I'm glad to avoid the nickel, at least for now (braces have nickel in them; if he itches, he'll have them removed & have to use some kind of plastic). Then we wait until all his big teeth are up & he can see the orthodontist for the braces.

Follow up in a few weeks...

Remember "Can we talk?". Well, now I'm saying, "Can we think??!"

There's a lot of misinformation about chicken pox & the vaccine that is "supposed" to prevent it. First of all, I am continually hearing about children who have been vaccinated actually contracting chicken pox. How can that be? Because vaccines are very often not effective!

However, even if the vaccine was not effective, that does not change the fact that now the vaccinated child has been contaminated with the many toxic ingredients in the vaccine itself, that didn't even do what it purports to do.

And for Christians & those who care, the chicken pox vaccine is one of them that has aborted fetal tissue cells as one of the ingredients.

Contracting it young, naturally, from another infected individual, is the best way to get it done. And there are many effective antivirals & herbs that can help either actually prevent the infection or seriously lesson its effects. Drugs can never do that.

Some people are always going to be ignorantly "thankful" for vaccines that have done nothing to improve the quality of life, nor have they saved any lives, but quite the opposite! Children, & adults, are losing their lives everyday "thanks" to vaccs. The fact remains that the rates of diseases were going down drastically before the advent of mass vaccinations. Better living conditions, knowledge of where disease comes from, & just being plain ol sanitary took care of that already. I've blogged about that here & also recommended several books that talk about these facts in detail. See my autism & vaccines categories.

However, Big Pharma wouldn't be alive & thriving as much as it is today if it weren't for mass vaccinations & their tiny little guinea pigs that are our children.

It's not just vaccinations either; we're a drugged out society, & I'm not talking about illegals either. Almost everyone is on a medication for something. New medications for just about anything you can imagine are being produced, & heavily marketed, everyday. How many people are dying from drug overdoses - prescription drug overdoses, & how many more are seriously addicted.

That is another way Big Pharma gets rich... keep them wanting more right? And keep them going on them for as long as possible. Because if that person dies they'll be more little babies coming to drug up anyway. No loss for them.

It always amazes me that medical professionals just cannot recommend the naturals because they don't know how "safe" they are. Yet they continually prescribe drugs for people that are certainly not without side effects & often come with terrible consequences.

What we need are more "professionals" trained in the naturals, so more people can have the guidance they need to actually heal, not get worse.

Not more then a day or two after my twins were born I was handed a "postpartum depression screening form". They were aggressive in getting me to fill it out; they wanted that thing fast. Turns out, according to their form, I was low risk, however, someone else I know turned up as high risk. She immediately felt she was going to be watched - & yes, the pressure was already on her. The ball was set to roll, toward meds.

At the 6 week check up she was required to fill it out again, & again she turned up as high risk. The meds were prescribed, to a nursing mother.

There's no counseling, no in home help provided, no follow up emotional care; just drugs.

No one questions the "safety" of that though. How many newborns will be affected not just by a vaccinaton cocktail, but now by the drugs his/her mother is "required" to take, because she came up high risk on some form? How many mothers are going to have a terrible time even getting off of those drugs, as that becomes a problem for many as well? (Not for Big Pharma though; the longer they're on it, the more they can line their own pockets).

The irony of this is I had just had twins, via c-section, & had 4 children at home, two of which are on the spectrum severely. My husband would be home one week tops, with a day at the office that week as well, but primarily I was on my own, recovering from surgery, & taking care of everyone & everything myself. Yet I was deemed "low risk".

Does that sound "high risk"? Sure does. Anyone with a quarter of that is high risk. But the form said I was low risk, simply because I answered questions similar to "are you worried about nothing for no reason?" with a no.  Um, okay, sounds like a real conclusive way to screen someone.

In addition to that, I never went back to my ob/gyn. I haven't seen a doctor since day 3 in the hospital after the twins were born. Have they called? Nope. Have they even mailed me the required postpartum depression screening form? Nope.

Thankfully, I know about diet & supplements & how they can & do help. Thankfully, I have some good natural practitioners if needed. Thankfully, if nothing else, I always have the Lord.

Everyone else gets drugs, is that it?

Point being people need to do their own research; they need to not always listen to the doctors. They need to not listen to Big Pharma & their advertisements. They need to question everything, all forms they are "required" to fill out & why. They need to read about drugs & vaccinations, their efficacy, & the consequences of allowing them into their bodies & the bodies of their children.

And in some way or another, there are always consequences.

It started Monday with Ladybug II's fever. Then Ladybug I became a bit sluggish. They seem okay now but Big Guy & Storyman are still nursing sore throats. Butterfly, well, so far so good. But now it's Little Guy's turn...

It probably started yesterday for him; he was kind of sluggish. By dinnertime he just couldn't stay awake & fell asleep in his meatloaf, literally:

I was really worried I wouldn't get his vits into him, but he ate a good breakfast & had them all - thank You Lord!

Right afterward he was either resting on me or the floor all morning, then he conked out right before lunch & is running a bit of a fever now.

So now we wait, & pray, this doesn't hit his chest again.

You might have heard about the toxic effects of leaking plastic into our drinks. Lots of people drink out of plastic bottles for water & other liquids, & children almost always have plastic non spill cups. A couple of practitioners I see were both concerned about these, to the point of not even storing foods in plastic containers. I'm not in the position to be replacing all my containers, but I did get a few alternative cups.

Klean Kanteen offers stainless steel drinking bottles in many sizes. They also offer various tops for traveling, sports use, etc. There's also SIGG Swiss Metal Water Bottles which I believe are made out of aluminum. They come in many styles & colors. Here is a website where you can find them. These are kind of pricey, & someone on an autism group mentioned finding a stainless sippy cup at Target for much cheaper, so one might want to look around a bit.

I ordered from each of the above companies & I prefer the smaller size Klean Kanteens. The water just seems to taste better out of them & less like I'm drinking straight out of one of my cooking pots. My health food store also carries a special plastic bottle that does not leak chemicals into the liquid. I don't know what they are called but this is what they look like:

Recently we found them there in smaller sizes for the kiddos:



I think those are preferred around here. My Little Guy still drinks out of a plastic straw cup a lot because he has trouble remembering to tip the above bottles enough to get the water into him (can you tell he was never bottlefed? ). He has no trouble turning them upside down to make a puddle on the tables or floors, however...

Big Guy is still not himself. He didn't eat too well this morning, & is still making that face that tells me his throat may be sore. We tried to get a peek in there this morning but that was a no-go. But he did take his vitamins & supplements, one of which is OLE (olive leaf extract) which is great for getting rid of strep, so I'm glad he got those just in case.

Storyman does not sound like himself. I peeked in his mouth & did find a little white spot (tell tale strep sign) so he got a dose of OLE as well. It tastes awful so has to be downed in & with some strong juice, like orange. He says he may even be feeling a bit better so far.

The Ladybugs are better, so far, however still cranky & not sleeping well. But they are teething so hopefully that's all it is now.

Butterfly & Little Guy are holding their own. They don't seem to have anything yet. They don't get OLE; I don't think I could get that into either of them. If it comes down to them needing it I will try. But they did get a 1/2 cap of Lysine, which is also an antiviral & may help with whatever is going around here.

I've been having trouble getting my Bible readings in daily, & it seemed obvious I needed some kind of alternative. I figured I'm at the computer so much (especially with this new laptop!) why not just pull up an online Bible reading program (well, what a "duh" moment). I did find one here that I like very much so far. Go to "Bible Studies And Devotions" pull down menu & then click on "Bible Reading Guides". You can choose whether you'd like to read in chronological order, as things happened, which would mix up the books a bit, or straight through the way the Bible is printed, or mix it up with a litle Old & New Testament daily. Since I really like studying history in order, I decided to go for the chronological readings. I looked through the months & jumped past the books I have read through so far.

Another great aspect of this site is when you get to your daily reading, you can either click on "Read Now" or "Bible Gateway". If you choose "Bible Gateway", it will take you to the reading on that site, where you can choose whatever version of the Bible you prefer! I chose the New King James Version.

I think this was a heavenly answer for me & that it will help me a lot. Hope this info helps someone else as well!

Thanks again, Lord....

This week I can't chelate anyone because there's something going around. Last night Ladybug II spiked a fever; she was very warm most of the night. Ladybug I seems fine but has been having some trouble nursing; I suspect a possible sore throat since that seems to be going around (from what my talking kids tell me they are feeling). Little Guy's face is very flushed; haven't figured that one out. Praying he doesn't get anything because of his respitory issues. I can tell when Big Guy's throat hurts as he makes a lot of pained type faces while he's swallowing, so I think that's what's happening to him as well.

So I need to put off chelation this week. Even just a cold sets us back a lot, so I can't say it's just another illness, they'll get better & it's not a big deal. It is a big deal to us, because now we can't chelate & I have to hope they continue tolerating their vits & supps.

Setbacks... we don't need setbacks...

I prefer not to drug up my kiddos...

We use lots of vitamins & supplements, herbs & homeopathy as appropriate. I find they work quite well most of the time so we rarely need medical intervention.

However, there are times when that just can't be, from my experiences with my Little Guy. From birth he's been my child to require medical intervention much more then any of the others. Even with that being the case, including his birth, he's had this kind of intervention 4 times now. He's presently 27 months old.

I consider medical intervention anything requiring medication (aside from broken bones & the like of course).

When Little Guy has a respitory bout, & nothing we can do brings it under control, we typically end up in the ER (because those things are always bound to happen on weekends or late at night, & on holidays, as we recently experienced).

When he's struggling to breathe, that must be helped immediately. We try to keep the damage as minimal as possible & take care of whatever happens afterward.

The first time he had a respitory bout he was 8 months old. He ended up with nebulizer treatments in the hospital & liquid steroid medication. Two weeks later it happened again & he ended up admitted with the same treatment but also including antibiotics (we're reaping the issues from that intervention now).

After a run in with his regular pediatrician, where he wanted to drug him up even more with some even more powerful antibiotics & other medication, I left that practice & found our natural family doctor who we've been with ever since. We got Little Guy on a few vitamins & supplements, kept his diet clean of everything he was sensitive to (which was & still is a lot) & he finally improved.

His natural family doctor also agrees with natural first, but when we have to, we go for the least damaging of the medicines available. For the neb he recommended & prescribed Xopenex, & for a natural steroid he prescribed Cortisol (although we cannot get this down Little Guy at all).

At one year old he caught another cold which I fully expected to enter his chest again, yet it didn't. He was clearly stronger physically. With more dietary intevention (SCD-see my links) he began to thrive & gain weight. It did not solve all the problems, but it helped immensely in further strengthening him.

My Little Guy is definitely a spectrum child, & has tested positive for yeast overgrowth. Recently he was put on Diflucan which is a powerful prescription yeast fighter. Shortly after a sibling came down with a cold. He caught  the cold which went right into his chest & landed us in the ER for the first time in 1-1/2 years. I was perplexed & frustrated by this negative turn.

However, in frequenting the autism boards I've discovered lots of children & adults have respitory issues develop when attacking yeast too aggressively or quickly. The Diflucan is obviously way too strong for my Little Guy. This also confirms he is definitely "yeasty".

So I decided to go the more natural route, which is typically the way I take first. I went back to my basic way of doing things - natural first.

Natural does not always work either, & natural can be very powerful as well. My Little Guy only took Candex a couple of times this week, when his respitory issues started to come back, although mildly. That & a bout of constipation (thanks for the note quietcajun, that was my Little Guy too!) proved to me this was not his yeast remedy either.

Even though everyone else has been okay on Candex, except possibly Butterfly but it's tough to tell being she's been sick also, I've decided to remove that supplement from the protocols. I'm considering Threelac now, but  I've heard varied things about this one so far as well though, from excellent to not so great reactions.

GSE - grapefruit seed extract - is also a great yeast fighter, & good for battling all strains of the yeast beast. It cleared a bout of thrush I had after Butterfly was born - nothing else was needed! The liquid form is the best, however, it's very strong tasting. Little Guy isn't a good medication taker to begin with so I know this won't go down him. The tablets are not as potent but I'll start there & see how he does. I think that will be my next move for him & my Big Guy.

Of course as always a good probiotic should be used daily. We're in the process of switching at the moment so more on that soon.

The only way I get any supplements down my Little Guy is mixing it in his flavored goat or sheep's milk yogurt in the morning. Sometimes I can squeak in another mild tasting supplement or two in some natural applesauce later on in the day.

I've found Transfer Factor to be a great all around supplement for my little people, so they get it everyday. It's a natural immune system booster. I increase it during times of illness like this. Our natural family doctor even recommended a cap per day for our Ladybugs. Vitamin C is a must, as is their CLO (cod liver oil) from Green Pasture. This is a fairly potent brand but pure (be careful of metals with CLO); a great source of natural vitamin A with D mixed in as well.

All the kiddos get an all around multi, & I use several products from Kirkman Labs as they cater to the autistic community. My Big Guy gets a bigger mix of supplements since he needs the nutritional support while chelating from heavy metals.

Recently from a parent on one of the boards I found a site giving a natural alternative to the nebulizer medications. She claims they kept her out of the ER completely with all her respitory problems. That remains to be seen for us, & I'll keep Little Guy's Xopenex on hand just in case. However, I did try this mix the other day & it seemed to help him. Look here for the ingredients.

For us natural is always the way to go first if at all possible, taking care in what's being used & how. We have the huge blessing of a natural family practitioner as well as other naturally oriented practitioners to help & advise us, however, I do use the boards quite a bit & learn more from other parents then from anywhere or anyone else. Sometimes the doctor's advice, even when they are "naturally oriented" is not even always the best. We the parents have to do all the legwork & research in taking control over our health & the health of our children, particularly when it comes to autism recovery.



(Due to the amount of biomed posts, please see my newly added disclaimer at the bottom of this blog).

The babies are still congested. It mostly affects them at night, of course, for sleeping. They did better the nights we had a humidifier on so we'll try that again tonight.

Little Guy is still not well. His breathing is under control, but he's still very congested & threw up his lunch today.

We saw our natural family doctor yesterday & it's basically just stuff they have to work through. He wanted Little Guy on a natural Cortisol this week to help balance him after the synthetic steroids from the ER last week, which we should get tomorrow. However, with the way he is now, I doubt he'll hold it down.

Big Guy & Storyman are pretty well, so far, but I am not convinced we're out of the woods there either. I've added a few more supps into Big Guy's regimen, & that may even help him with the virus going around here. Butterfly had gotten sick as well, & is still recovering with a lot of stuffiness.

In the meantime I'm taking advantage of this "down time" for an excessive amount of biomed research. There's a lot I want to try, although much of it Little Guy can't start until he's well. But I am ramping up Big Guy's protocol at the moment.

Onward...

In my bus-i-ness lately I had neglected to drink the amount of water needed, & it affected me and the babies.

Recently I started getting heart palpitations. I have a minor condition & figured it was related. It was time for a checkup anyway so I went to my cardiologist. Everything seemed good. Hearing I was nursing twins he asked about my water intake, which had radically slacked off. He said any nursing mother needs a lot of extra water, but nursing twins requires that much more. I knew water was important, especially for nursing, but hadn't realized I was truly becoming dehydrated.

During this time one of my twins had stopped pooping. It's okay for them to skip a few days, they say, but she went on a week so I called our natural family doctor. The first question they asked was if I was drinking enough water. Ding, ding - yikes! No, I hadn't been.

So for the past couple of weeks I've been getting back to around 64oz per day; I actually seem to need more than that. But if I even drink 3/4 of that I do much better. My heart palpitations are gone, & the babies are back to "going" more regularly.

Whew... if you're nursing - drink your water!!

A short while back I had said I was "fighting off another bout of mastitis" but that I thought I was winning. Well, I lost!   

Last Friday I was feeling pretty run down, & by Saturday morning I woke up sore & extremely tired. I made it downstairs to make myself a decent breakfast but headed back to bed for the day to nurse & rest (the two best remedies!). It wasn't quite as bad as last time; there were a few chills here & there & possibly just a low grade fever this time. I was able to eat dinner & by the next morning was still sore but generally felt better.

So I spent that next day catching up on some laundry. By Monday I was tired again, but the soreness was pretty much gone.

Now I'm working on some organization... they'll be more on that later.

By the way, eating lots of garlic, raw if you can do it, is excellent for these things. It's a natural antibiotic! Of course, warn those around you first...

I came down with mastitis over the weekend, & it's just now finally passed. Hopefully it won't come back. That was my first time dealing with that, & it wasn't fun at all. It hit hard right around noon-ish, & the chills & fever passed by later that evening.

I didn't call my doctor, as I did not want any antibiotics (not recommending this but that's me). Instead I'm opting for natural help. Click here for a wide variety of natural treatments. I tried a few things that definitely helped. I'll also be adding lecithin to my diet. Getting lots of rest & staying as stress free as possible helps avoid these things as well - in a perfect world, anyway.

I called for my results this morning, & they are ...

NEGATIVE!!!!!!! 

Of course I'm relieved & happy all is well ... thank you Lord!

This great article courtesy of a fellow Yahoogroup member... 


Health Food Imposters

As you may have noticed, the reputation of some foods seems to change as often as the weather. Last week in Daily Health News I talked about foods we once shunned, but now embrace as good for us --
certain fats, coconut oil, whole eggs and even coffee come to mind. Then there's the flip side. The grocery store aisles now abound with foods purported to be healthy, but in fact are junk disguised in
wholesome packaging.

A prime example of this from recent history is margarine. It was introduced as a healthy alternative to butter, but regular readers of Daily Health News are well aware that many margarines are loaded with
trans fat, and may be far worse for you than the rather innocent butter it replaced. (It's possible that an exception is the plant sterol-enriched margarines recently brought to market, but we don't know enough about them yet, so the jury is still out on their health value.) And what about some of the other staples of the health-food industry? Are they really as "good" for us as we've been led to believe?

I had a long conversation with board certified nutritionist Jonny Bowden on that topic, and here's what I learned...

ARE BREAKFAST CEREALS AND MEAL-REPLACEMENT BARS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

The claim of many cereals to be "whole grain" is wholly misleading. Labeling laws let marketers flash "health benefits" if they are carefully worded. "The fact that something started as whole grain doesn't mean much if all the nutrition has been processed out of it," says Bowden. "Many cereal labels today say made from whole grains. The truth is they're made from flours and cereals manufactured from whole grains, which raise blood sugar almost as high as other processed ones. These 'whole grain' cereals have been processed to the point where they have around 2 g or less of fiber per serving, which is minimal." In Bowden's opinion, whole grain cereals with less than 5 g of fiber per serving are no better than the less righteous cereals they replaced.

"Additionally, many cereal- and grain-based breakfast products are loaded with sugar, some have trans fat, and most also have additives," said Bowden. He advised reading the label carefully. Strive to find brands with about 10 grams of protein (or close to that), no hydrogenated oils and no more than a couple of grams of sugar per serving. This doesn't mean you have to give up this convenient food category altogether. For example, the Atkins Advantage bars meet that criteria, as do a few -- very few --
others. "There are also good bars that have more sugar than three grams," he added, "but those are specialty whole-foods bars, such as Omaga Smart... Bumble Bars... and LaraBars, made from nothing but real fruit, spices and nuts." All of these are healthy. Most other energy and meal replacement bars have very high sugar and belong in the candy aisle. As they say -- "if it's too good to be true, it
probably is!"

OY, SOY TOO

Soy has been a health darling of recent years, to the extent that it has become the primary source of protein in many protein-enriched products. However, the bloom is off that rose. "I don't think soy is the worst thing in the world for you," Bowden said, "but I think it's been way oversold as a health food." The healthy kind of soy is that which is traditionally fermented, like miso and tempeh, or minimally
processed, like edamame. "Those are the soy products that have real health benefits," says Bowden, adding that other soy products (such as those in some meal-replacement bars) should be enjoyed in
moderation. (For more on the good, bad and ugly of soy see the Daily Health News article from October 24, 2005.)

SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT SALMON

"Farm-raised salmon is another problem," said Bowden. "Nutritionists have long urged everyone to eat salmon for its high content of omega-3s and because it's such a wonderful source of protein and vitamins. But that is not actually true of farm-raised salmon (versus wild salmon), which encompasses most of the Atlantic salmon we eat. These fish are farm raised, kept in pens, fed antibiotics, artificially
colored and often contain far fewer omega-3s than their wild cousins." Bowden suggests looking for wild Alaskan salmon, which is preferable to the farm-raised kind. "If you can't get it in the supermarket, try a company like Vital Choice (www.vitalchoice.com, 800-608-4825), which will ship the highest quality wild salmon and other fish directly to your door," he says. A good rule of thumb: The colder the water the fish lives in, the more omega-3s it will likely have.

CANOLA OIL: NO CAN DO

Neither is Bowden a fan of canola oil. "The presence of canola oil in the marketplace is a triumph of marketing over science," he told me. "Canola oil is a highly processed oil that needs to be deodorized
at high temperatures, which frequently creates trans fat," he said. "In addition, the omega-3s in it are easily damaged by heating." If you want to use canola oil, stick to cold-pressed organic canola oil and use it for dressings, but not for cooking.

YOGURT

I bet most of us have already figured out that yogurt -- a major health craze a couple of decades ago -- is not all that healthy in the drinkable and squeezable and high-sugar forms that are available today. Call it wishful thinking, because I thought I already knew the answer... but I asked anyway. What about frozen yogurt? "Its only resemblance to real yogurt is that they're both white," he laughed. "Seriously, it can be a delicious dessert, but don't fool yourself that frozen yogurt is healthier than ice-cream. In fact, the non-fat kind is often filled with aspartame, which can be a problem for many people," he told me. Why not go ahead and eat the ice cream, and get the highest quality you can find? "Just eat it less often," he suggested.

FRUIT DRINKS

Another great pretender? Commercial fruit beverages, especially many of the kinds marketed and conveniently packaged for kids' lunches, are nothing but sugar water. "You are far better off drinking water and flavoring it with lemon or cherry or berry juice concentrate, which are high in antioxidants. Or, if you really want the juice, dilute it with water in a 1:4, solution so you take in less sugar," Bowden said. Healthy exceptions to the "no juice" rule are 100% juices made from cranberry and pomegranate, which do, in fact, contain plenty of important and desirable nutrients. If you don't mind paying a premium, you can also choose from an ever-growing selection of "healthy" juices sold in specialty and health food
stores, made of better ingredients (organic and with less or no added sugar, chemicals or "fruit juice fillers").

It's easy to be fooled by the advertising claims made for many products. Be skeptical, and smart. "The healthiest foods are the ones that are minimally processed and closest to the state in which they
were found in nature. If you could hunt it, fish for it, pluck it or gather it, chances are it's the real thing, not a health food imposter."

Source(s):

Jonny Bowden, a board-certified nutrition specialist, a nationally known weight loss coach and author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and
Why (Fair Winds). Contact him at www.jonnybowden.com.

Here are some natural products that I really like & work well for us.

Similasan Eye Care Products:



I love these! I use the "Allergy Eye Relief" daily, AM & PM. I am a contact lens wearer, & I have astigmatism in both eyes. I just saw a new eye doctor this week, who I liked very much, who explained the brand I have been using for years is being phased out due to dryness. That is true; I have had issues with them drying out on me quite often. Because of the pregnancy, he did not want to try out any new products or prescriptions on me at this time (wise). He is able to get my usual brand, FOCUS, for now; maybe next year I will try something new.

However, I mentioned using this eye drop everyday & he said no doubt that most likely helps in making my contacts much more tolerable!

As you can kind of see, they have several varieties for all sorts of eye issues. They are natural & I can say they have worked well for me. My oldest son just had a stye issue this week & the special one for that helped him as well.

The link above will give you more information on this product. I have found these drops at any health food store & even better supermarkets.

Ecocolors, Natural Home Hair Color Kits:



These are natural home hair coloring kits. Nothing is perfect, but these are an excellent, much less chemically laden brand than anything you will find anywhere else or especially in a salon. They cover gray well too! The job is still a bit of a nuisance to have to do at home, but it saves plenty of money & time to not have to go to a salon (which I just don't do anymore, except for maybe a once a year haircut!). I have found their customer service to be excellent as well! Whenever I've had a question I've emailed & received a very quick, helpful, & courteous reply in return.

They can be found on their website; click on their name above.

Dr. Hauschka's Skin Care Products:


I just started using some of these products. A lady at my local health food store sent me home with some samples one day & I had liked them enough to spring for some full size bottles. Right now I'm using the cleanser, toner, & moisturizer. They are a bit pricey, but these bottles are generous & lasting me a long time. They have face & body care, seasonal care, & kits as well. They can be found at most health food stores & online. So far I really like them as they do not dry out my skin or cause any breakouts, & aren't loaded with chemicals like the typical skin & body care products.

Chestal, natural cough remedy & relief:



This product has always helped to alleviate coughs when the kiddos have been sick. There's no junk in it like regular, drug store cough medicines, & this one actually really soothes, as well as shortens the length of the cough. Natural & homeopathic; you can find it at your local health food store & online.

Oscillococcinum, flu remedy:



This is a GREAT product!! I've used it twice when I've felt full blown flu symptoms coming on - chills, aches, feverish, etc; take it right away & it stops it in its tracks!! Take it later & it will slow it down! I have several boxes in the house at all times.  It is a natural, homeopathic remedy that I've used while nursing & while pregnant. A must have for that "non medicine" cabinet!

Nature's Gate toothpastes:



My husband & I like these. They have minty ones, ones for natural whitening, & especially ones without fluoride, which is a toxic chemical we avoid as much as possible. They have many other products as well, & can be found at most any health food store.

Tom's of Maine toothpastes:



We love these too. There are many varieties. My kiddos love the "Silly Strawberry" & "Goofy Grape". They are again, natural, & come in fluoride free varieties! I've bought them at health food stores & online. Many supermarkets carry Tom's products as well, including their deodorants which are aluminum free, but most don't carry the fluoride free varities that we use, so I get those at HFS & online.

David Hosking's Eczema & other skin creams:




I can't say enough about these wonderful, natural creams! As my regular readers know, baby has had huge issues with eczema, which is now under control with dietary intervention (he has multiple food sensitivies). If your little one is struggling with itchy rashes, they are most likely eczema (which comes in many forms) & can be controlled by keeping all the chemicals out of the soaps & detergents etc, & by eliminating certain foods until you find the offenders (start with dairy; the most common offender). Probiotics can also be helpful in treating eczema from the inside out.

For topical relief, David Hosking's has the BEST creams ever!! (I know; I tried them ALL for my baby!). They are from down under in Australia, & I ordered them online. I've used the "Extra Rich Moisturizing Cream" & "Soothing Lavendar Facial Balm for Infants" for my little guy. Both have been soothing. The best thing though, has been the "Psorexederm Cream".  It has natural antifungal boric acid,  zinc oxide, Vitamin A, & soothing lanolin. I put this on him every night without fail when he was at his worst, & he always looked so much better by the morning. He was more comfy & slept better too. It doesn't wipe away with drool either, which is so important with teething babies. It is safe to use on the face & around the mouth. Great for diaper rash too!

Arnica homeopathic pellets, gels, & creams:






Homeopathics are kind of a staple around here. There are many "basics" that I find really helpful for all of us, & Arnica tops the list. It comes in pellet form in a casein coating that can be tolerated by most dairy sensitive individuals like most of my own kiddos.  We mostly use the 6c strength pellet, but 30c is okay if the other is not on hand. Arnica is primarily for bumps & bruises, of which children are prone to many!

Many a time they've bonked themselves, gotten an Arnica, & not barely a mark appeared where there would have been a swollen bump of a nasty purple color normally! If the bump is bad Arnica is safe to give on a more frequent basis until the healing has really set in. It not only aides in healing, quickly, but also alleviates the pain as well. I've used it for surgeries as well & found it extremely helpful!

The Arnica creams & gels are great for bumps as well, so you can use pellets internally & the gel right on the bump. It's not to be used for open wounds, however. You can find it at any health food store or online.

Rescue Remedy, Bach Flower essence:



This remedy is a mix of various flower essences. I can't explain how it works but it has proved very helpful during stressful times. Put a few drops in some water & sip throughout the day when stressed out; if you keep up with it you'll feel a difference! Sometimes a drop, or the convenient spray, right into the mouth during a particularly difficult time can help soothe the stress right away. I always keep this around the house & carry it with me. Any health food store should carry this but of course, online is always the next best option!

Herbs for Kids Willow Garlic Ear Oil:



Another health food store favorite of mine. If your little one is prone to ear infections please consider eliminating dairy from his/her diet. It is a typical symptom some kiddos have of dairy intolerance. Wait until they are older & they may be better able to tolerate it, or try raw dairy if you can get it.

We rarely have issues with ear infections, thankfully, but if there is the occasional ear infection, or beginnings of one, this oil has proved very helpful in soothing the pain & healing the problem. Warm it up by dropping the bottle into some very warm water, rub between hands quickly to keep it warmed up & 3-5 drops into each ear about 3x/day has helped us in past. (Keep a towel handy; baby may smell a bit salady for a while! ). Plain olive oil, warmed, can be helpful too! Make sure the oils are not hot of course, just warm. This is a great way to avoid those nasty antibiotics that cause so many yeast issues that cause so many other issues...believe me, I know!

Transfer Factor, immune system booster:

This is another great product. The kids & I get it on a regular basis (it's safe for all, including baby & me pregnant!), & adults can take it as needed when their immune system seems compromised or on a trip etc.  It can ward off illnesses, & when we do get sick, it can drastically shorten them. This can be ordered online at http://www.transferfactor4health.com.

Homeopathic Ledum pellets:



Another great homepathic to keep in the home & travel kits! If you're extra sensitive to bug bites (I am) this is the one to keep around. I've taken it in response to mosquito & other pesky bites that leave me swollen & terribly itchy (allergic reaction most likely). A necessity to have around too in case of a nasty sting!

I have lots of favorites & wanted to share some here. I'll try to do more posts like this in future if I find some more wonderful items or just think of more I can share! Of course, my disclaimer is not to use anything on my advice, but seek out information on the product for yourself & through your natural healthcare practitioner!

I think soon I'll do a post on some natural & allergy friendly foods we enjoy. Well, hope this has been helpful for someone out there!

Baby is still a rash kiddo . He breaks out at the slightest little thing. Sometimes he gets a crumb off the floor of something the others have dropped that didn't get cleaned up & he'll have a little rash on his leg. However, about a week ago, he started having a pretty aggressive rash that spread to his upper legs, lower back, upper back, a tiny bit on his stomach, & most recently down the back of his arms. He's been so itchy he cannot sleep well at night. I've started our usual routine of warm water & natural creams, & now he is getting better.

But I had enough so I took him to our natural doctor yesterday to get him looked at. He walked in, took one look at him & said, "I hate to do it to him, but can we please test him?". Test? Of course! I had wanted more testing. I want to know what's affecting him, or at least eliminate what is not bothering him. The allergy doctor we used to go to had refused, saying he was too young, & that the scratch test was good enough. Well the scratch test is useless & this doctor agreed with me. It didn't pick up anything.

So yesterday baby had a blood test for IgG, food allergy testing. Needless to say he was not a happy camper about the whole thing, but we got through it. We should get results in about 2-3 weeks. They will call me for an appointment to discuss the results, which supposedly are very comprehensive. I do hope we can finally get somewhere closer to long term healing for him. I certainly won't be giving up easily!

What was meant to be a "well" check up yesterday turned into a sick visit for my 18m old. He was still running a temp (low grade), listless & not eating well. The natural physician we have said it was definitely viral & would work itself out. Nice to see someone without an Rx pad out all the time. Today he is much better, eating a bit more, with lots more energy. Still not himself but definitely on the mend. I'm still watching him for any signs of respitory issues, but so far he's doing pretty well. Everyone else is beign watched as well!

My 5 yr old had her well check up & did just fine. She does have some coordination issues, but with time, practice, & patience those tend to work themselves out & no one was concerned. She loves going there to see the fish & various planes hanging from the ceiling (the dr is also a pilot).

Baby will have to go back for a once over in a week or so when all recuperated. The dr did mention how much better he looked overall. He has gained some weight, but filled out nicely & is plumper then he was & looking all around healthier. Still dealing with food allergies & intolerances, which I'm still hoping & praying he'll outgrow!

We're still on SCD (check links for more information) & doing pretty well on it. It takes a lot of work for me as all the cooking is from scratch. I make the yogurt per SCD instructions from raw goat's milk, & it's powerful stuff. Everytime I increase it even just a bit we all get some big die off symptoms. These can be anything from bowel upsets, crankiness, tantrums, giddiness, & stomach aches.

I can personally attest to yeast die off being a real thing. When first starting the yogurt I got some pretty bad stomach aches, but I seem to have adjusted as nothing that bad happens anymore. If anything I get some extra fatigue now when it's increased a bit, but I take it very slowly. Generally, I'd feel pretty lousy, but I've been told the first few months of the diet can do that to people. Once through the worst of the "storm", an easing of symptoms happens & we should start to feel normal finally.

We eat eggs, a variety of veggies & meats, & some baked fruits. Fruits are generally harder on us then other foods, so I haven't tried a whole lot of variety yet. We have smoothies which include the yogurt, watered down pineapple juice (all juices are watered down), bananas, coconut oil, nutmeg, honey, ice, & sometimes some vanilla. Some folks throw an egg into the mix. I tried that once but detected a somewhat slimy feel to the smoothie so I probably won't do that again until I can come to terms with it. The kids didn't seem to mind (probably because they didn't know it was there ).

My autistic son adjusted rather easily to SCD, but he was eating meats & veggies well beforehand. He's also quite pleased with the addition of bananas & baked apples, since he hasn't had fruit in so long. (Raw fruit gives him major stomach upsets).

There were some pretty discouraging moments with him a couple of weeks back, & I wasn't sure of any hope left. Every little RDI (see links) activity with him meant me pulling him in, meaning he really wasn't interested. He would go through the motions & then demand a video in return (which was never given as we don't want to encourage that sort of thing). Yet it did not get better but seemed to be getting worse. I decided to take a break from it all this week.

Then this week the Lord offered me some encouragement. I was in a store with all 4 kiddos (always a challenge), & I had given my 8-1/2yr old something to put in the basket. He/we dropped it. My autistic son picked it up & put it in the basket for us (one of our activities that we were doing) without being prompted or asked do so. Then at home I was doing laundry (when aren't I?) & he came over & willingly helped me also without prompting. I'm sure I haven't seen the last of video demands, but I certainly needed those encouraging moments this week & am thankful for them.

We wrap up RDI this month, & have to decide whether to commit to another 6 months (very expensive). We most likely will go again, as it's been the most encouraging & helpful thing we've done with him in recent times besides dietary interventions.

As for my other kiddos, the baby is eating well, & although still small, is picking up some weight now which is also encouraging. My 8-1/2 yr old adjusted to the diet well too which was a surprise, & seems to have more better moments then he used to (he's easily frustrated). My daughter has had a more difficult time coming to terms with the diet but she's hanging in there with me. Since they seem to be doing rather well I'll see if we can tolerate some new foods soon.

Being my oldest child is severely autistic I've looked into many sources of chemicals that could hurt a growing body. We know he was vaccine injured, but aside from avoiding that there were other things we could do to avoid chemical poisoning for him & our other 3 children.

Some parents have had their children tested for heavy metals & found antimony & arsenic to be in high levels.  Arsenic can be found in many lawn sprays; both are an issue in flame retardant chemicals which are pretty much in everything.

To make things flame retardant, harmful, toxic chemicals are added to carpets, furniture, mattresses, bedding, baby paraphanalia, & even clothing. These chemicals, either through direct contact or even inhaling the gas, can enter a baby's delicate system & cause damage to his/her immature neurological system.

Unfortunately, there's no way around car seats as they must be used & there are no totally safe covers. All baby items are treated with flame retardant chemicals. There are some big offenders that can be avoided or at least minimized though for better health for baby.

The Graco Pack N Play is notorious with a lot of parents who feel their child obtained heavy metal poisoning. Since it is soft the whole item is treated. As baby lays in the pen s/he soaks up those gasses into the body. Apparently it can affect the entire surrounding area, emitting harmful gasses into the room & house (other products can do this as well but this is a larger product & apparently generously treated with chemicals). Since I decided never to use one from knowing this years ago I haven't looked at this lately, but there is a Yahoogroup dedicated to the issues & avoidance of antimony & arsenic where this item has been discussed quite frequently.

Here is the address: antimonyandarsenic@yahoogroups.com

Since all mattresses are treated as well it is very difficult to avoid these chemicals. When expecting my 4th child I knew I would need something safe to put him in now & then so I opted for a wooden portacrib. I had to buy a regular portacrib mattress, however, I was able to get a safe covering for it, as well as for his cradle & crib mattresses. I also bought untreated bedding, & opted out of using any cute puffy bumpers or comforters, which are also treated with chemicals.

Here is more information about the chemicals, their affects, how to avoid them, mattress covers & how to use them: http://www.babesafe.com/

Since many parents feel exposure to the flame retardant chemicals in various items can contribute to crib death, this issue is discussed in detail on the Babesafe website. I feel vaccines have more to do with crib death, but any exposure to chemicals can affect a growing infant in so many ways & everyone is different as to how the problem can manifest. And again I wanted to avoid any chemical exposure that I could possibly avoid for my youngest children especially (infants are more at risk of damage since they have immature, delicate systems).

As the child gets older, a prescription can be obtained for buying special mattresses without flame retardant chemicals. A website for such an item is www.abundantearth.com. Be wary of organic mattresses because they have wool which contains high levels of arsenic (due to volcanic soil).

If you are co-sleeping with baby there are safe ways around using larger sized chemically treated mattresses. SelectComfort mattresses are not treated due to a different system used. We have one; it's wonderfully comfortable & best of all we don't have to worry about chemicals for any little nighttime snugglers!

Here is their website: www.selectcomfort.com 

Children's pajamas are also treated with flame retardant chemicals & we avoid all use of them. Untreated cotton pajamas can be found at many stores even for the youngest of babies including GAP, The Childrens Place, Gymboree, Land's End, & others. They will always be cotton, always be in a "long john" type form, & always have a yellow label on it that will specifically say it is "NOT flame retardant" & to "wear snugly". They come in shorts & short sleeves as well.

Other ways to avoid unnecessary chemicals & protect baby (& you) are to eat organic foods as much as possible, consider taking a good quality fish oil such as cod liver oil from Nordic Naturals or Green Pastures (great stuff - good quality & free of toxins), avoid putting baby down for "tummy time" on any carpeting that isn't at least 8yrs old, & avoid new carpet & paint in baby's room (fumes).

Some people may feel that these are extreme measures, but when one has an injured child nothing is extreme anymore. Nothing will ever be totally toxin free unfortunately, but sometimes there are things I can do to make their world a little safer.