Tag: health

Garlic Lemonade

It’s inevitable. Every year my daughter gets the sniffles after Halloween, the effect of a combination of moldy leaves on the ground, sudden cold wet weather, and too much candy.

Garlic Lemonade is my go-to remedy for coughs, cold and the flu. I found the recipe in Dr. Aviva Jill Romm’s book, “Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives.” All three ingredients: lemon, garlic and raw honey are great for boosting the immune system. It’s also delicious. My daughter loves it.

Garlic Lemonade

3 medium-sized garlic cloves, chopped
(blogger’s note: instead of chopping, I pounded the garlic in a mortar and pestle)
Juice of 1 lemon
Raw honey to taste.

Place the garlic in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with boiling water. Let the garlic steep for 20 minutes and then strain it out. Add the lemon juice and sweeten with raw honey.

Give 1/2 to 2 cups daily, the lower dose to prevent illness and for younger children and the greater quantity for older kids who feel like they are coming down with a cold.

Don’t give the lemonade every day; just use it as needed.

Previously posted on Lemon Garlic Tea.

November 11, 2012
Safe Cosmetics

This video, “The Story of Cosmetics,” is presented by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the same people who created the really eye-opening and much-recommended to watch, “The Story of Stuff.”

I’ve been reading about toxic ingredients in cosmetics and body products since 1997 when I first read Dr. Hulda Clark‘s book, “The Cure For All Cancers.” Back then I was a toxic cocktail of body products, and it showed on my acne-ridden face. I was stuck on a vicious cycle of covering up my acne with toxic cosmetics, thus causing more breakouts to cover up. I had to go cold turkey, through herbal cleanses and zapping sessions, and endure the many months of my body detoxing from the abuse I had heaped upon it for years. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t instant. It took at least a year, if I remember correctly. There were many times when I questioned what I was doing, and was tempted to fall back to my old habits. Whenever my courage flagged, I read more and more books about the subject matter. Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care: Including A to Z Guide to Natural and Synthetic Chemicals in Cosmetics comes to mind, in addition to other titles by Hulda Clark.

When my skin finally cleared, my mind cleared as well. I became well-versed in body product ingredients. I could quickly pick out ingredients to avoid: anything with the syllable prop in it, such as isopropyl alcohol and propylene glycol, sodium laurel sulfate, anything with the syllable benz in it, such as benzoyl peroxide. These big ones alone are difficult to avoid. It doesn’t matter if the bottle says “All Natural” or “Organic” on it. Almost every product on the store shelf has at least one of these chemicals in it. They are petroleum-derived and toxic. Do Not Want.

I became known among my family and friends as an all-natural girl. It’s tough when my mom proudly shows me a new body product she’s using with the words “All Natural” in big letters on the bottle, and then when I turn to read the label the first ingredient on it is propylene glycol. Why must I always be the bearer of bad news? Help me out here. Let’s all get educated on the ingredients of the products we rub on our selves and our children. Read those labels and learn to discern between a healthy product and a toxic one.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has made it easier for us by compiling a list of companies who are committed to producing only products that are safe and nontoxic. See if your favorite products made the list. Let your dollars vote on the products that are safe and nontoxic to us and the environment. You and your family are worth the effort.

July 12, 2011
How to Zap

My family uses a zapper to keep ourselves healthy. The video above is of my husband demonstrating how to use a zapper. I’ve explained what zapping and the zapper is in my blog entry, Doing Nothing When My Child is Sick. Here is an excerpt:

Zapping has to be the best kept secret to health. The concept and practice of zapping has been studied and documented for over a hundred years beginning with Nikola Tesla in the 1900s. In a nutshell, a zapper is a device that emits a frequency which resonates throughout the body to shatter bacteria, viruses and germs, much like a singer shatters glass with the right pitch and frequency.

Despite the zapper not being acknowledged by the FDA and the medical establishment, I’ve been using the zapper since I came across it in 1997, with satisfying results. My daughter does not know life without it. Zapping doesn’t feel like anything, there is no electrical jolt or buzz. It’s the ultimate in doing nothing because you just sit there holding the electrodes while doing, well, nothing. I believe it works because symptoms are relieved after use, sometimes dramatically, like with a stomach ache. With colds or flu, it takes a while, but I’ve noticed my family kicks it sooner than most. Cuts that are pink and puffy with infection dry up faster when we zap.

(Disclosure: I am owner/manager of NaturalHealthSupply.com and we sell zappers. In 1999, my husband and I began selling zappers because we believe in them, not the other way around. I feel really lucky to have found the zapper as a solution to many of my health problems. I’ve spoken openly about zapping long before we started selling them. My testimonial above is my own personal experience with the zapper, and is not intended as a medical claim.)

I believe we are getting closer to the FDA and the medical establishment acknowledging the health benefits of using a zapper. Frequency Specific Microcurrent is now accepted by the FDA for treating patients with pain.

April 12, 2011
Lemon Garlic Tea

Well, actually this recipe is listed as Garlic Lemonade in Aviva Jill Romm’s book, Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives. Among recipes for boosting immunity, this one excited me most because my daughter and I can incorporate it into one of our favorite playtime activities: Tea Party.

We usually boil a cup of water, squeeze half a lemon and stir a teaspoon of honey into it. A porcelain tea set makes things fun and fancy for my little princess. This recipe adds only one more element: garlic, known for stimulating the immune system.

Here is the recipe:

Garlic Lemonade

3 medium-sized garlic cloves, chopped
(blogger’s note: instead of chopping, I pounded the garlic in a mortar and pestle)
Juice of 1 lemon
Maple syrup or honey to taste.

Place the garlic in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with boiling water. Let the garlic steep for 20 minutes and then strain it out. Add the lemon juice and sweeten with the maple syrup or honey.

Give 1/2 to 2 cups daily, the lower dose to prevent illness and for younger children and the greater quantity for older kids who feel like they are coming down with a cold.

Don’t give the lemonade every day; just use it periodically as needed.

January 20, 2010
Doing Nothing When My Child is Sick

There is nothing worse for a parent than having a sick child. There is no sleeping when the germs are having their way with our kids. And as a reward for our care, we parents get a dose of the same sickness after our kids are through with it. Can someone please remind me why I wanted so badly to be a mom?

Whenever I come across someone twittering about their kid being sick, I am filled with so much empathy for their plight. I know how it feels to look helplessly at a fevered, coughing, snot-runny, crying child and not have a magic wand to wave it all away. I’m going through that right now.

My daughter had a slight sniffle on Friday morning, and though I felt conflicted, I brought her to her dentist appointment for a filling. (I feel very badly about this. I don’t know anyone who has ever had a filling on a milk tooth. I feel so stupid, and scammed! Worst of all, I have to face the fact that my 5 year old now has something in her mouth every day that weighs on her immune system even just the slightest bit. All because I was a schmuck who didn’t think it through clearly enough before everything was said and done. After all the reading I’ve done about questionable dental practices, I still got sucked into signing my kid up for it. But I digress.)

Everything was fine over the weekend. Monday she went to preschool and had a playdate with a friend and her little one-year-old brother after school. Wednesday, she woke up with a cough, her friend was absent from school. Thursday morning my daughter woke up with a fever. I kept her home.

The most valuable resource I’ve ever gotten prior to giving birth was Aviva Jill Romm’s book, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children: A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition, and Health. The first of Six Steps of Healing, “Step 0: Do nothing to interfere; observe. Recognize and observe the processes taking place. Allow the processes to unfold.”

I’ve always listened to my daughter’s body wisdom. From the very first moment I held her in my arms and watched her suckle instinctively, I was constantly amazed at what she knew about her body. I was humbled, and tried my best not to get in the way by imposing what I thought she was supposed to do. I did not adhere to any feeding schedule. She ate when she was hungry and didn’t when she was not. I believe that eating disorders begin when our own basic instincts are supplanted by messages from the outside, whether it’s mother imposing feeding schedules and quotas, or later on mass media telling us we are too fat. We grow up not trusting our own instincts, tossed about from fad diet to fad diet, unhealthy, unhappy, out of touch with our own bodies.

So I listen to my kid, long before she learned to talk, and I don’t see myself changing soon. As soon as she learned to talk, we taught her the word, “symptoms.” Every time she complained or cried about pain, we asked, “What are your symptoms?” She’d say her head hurts, her nose is runny, her throat hurts… all very helpful clues to a parent, and educational for a child growing up in touch with her body and all its functions.

Doing nothing is the hardest thing. A crying child is a siren of alarm and I don’t know any parent who can sit there without a twitch. In my 5 years of being a mom, I’ve found 5 Ways of “Doing Nothing” when my child is sick. Let me share them with you.

1. Touch. We all have the gift of healing hands. How many times have we instinctively clutched our bellies during a stomach ache, or massaged our temples when we have a headache? I lay my palms on my child and my touch alone comforts her, relaxes her enough to be clear when she talks to me about her symptoms. I ask her if she’s comfortable, if my touch makes her feel better, if she’d rather I touch her elsewhere. Last night for instance, I had my hand on her forehead, and she told me she’d rather have my hand on her neck. Touch aids communication. Touch is communication.

2. Healthy food and water. No matter what it is that ails our children, lots of water and healthy foods will help their immune systems heal them. Carrots and fruits are some raw foods that children already like to eat, so there’s no coercion needed. I like to serve soups at mealtimes because it’s healthy and hydrating. Best ingredients to put into soups for sick people are shiitake mushrooms and leafy greens to support the immune system. When my daughter was still breastfeeding, I made sure she had my milk as often as she reached for it. Not only did it aid her immune system, it also kept her hydrated. Avoid anything fried, dairy or sugar.

3. Warm washcloth. Aviva Jill Romm wrote it best in her book, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children: A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition, and Health, “Fever is not an illness. It is a process occurring as a response to infection and a signal of illness. It is not the fever itself that needs to be eliminated. Rather, the task is to support and nourish the child while the body does the work of eliminating infection, regaining equilibrium, and healing. In fact, fevers may be important in the body’s fight against invading organisms by stimulating the immune system and creating a body temperature inhospitable to bacteria.” I have never given my child medicine to reduce her fevers. I work with a washcloth and water, as hot as I can take it, and I hold it on to her forehead. As the washcloth cools slowly, so does the fever in her head subside.

4. Echinacea. A tincture of echinacea is an over the counter herbal remedy for supporting the immune system. Our medicine cabinet is always stocked with it. I squeeze a few drops in water in a shot glass, depending on directions on the label. My daughter actually likes the taste of it.

5. Zap. Zapping has to be the best kept secret to health. The concept and practice of zapping has been studied and documented for over a hundred years beginning with Nikola Tesla in the 1900s. In a nutshell, a zapper is a device that emits a frequency which resonates throughout the body to shatter bacteria, viruses and germs, much like a singer shatters glass with the right pitch and frequency.

Despite the zapper not being acknowledged by the FDA and the medical establishment, I’ve been using the zapper since I came across it in 1997, with satisfying results. My daughter does not know life without it. Zapping doesn’t feel like anything, there is no electrical jolt or buzz. It’s the ultimate in doing nothing because you just sit there holding the electrodes while doing, well, nothing. I believe it works because symptoms are relieved after use, sometimes dramatically, like with a stomach ache. With colds or flu, it takes a while, but I’ve noticed my family kicks it sooner than most. Cuts that are pink and puffy with infection dry up faster when we zap.

(Disclosure: I am owner/manager of NaturalHealthSupply.com and we sell zappers. In 1999, my husband and I began selling zappers because we believe in them, not the other way around. I feel really lucky to have found the zapper as a solution to many of my health problems. I’ve spoken openly about zapping long before we started selling them. My testimonial above is my own personal experience with the zapper, and is not intended as a medical claim.)

To this day, “doing nothing” has helped my daughter through fevers, coughs, cold, flu, ear infections, cuts and scrapes. When would I consider medical help? Broken bones. Knock on wood.

January 16, 2010
Avocado Applications

The avocado is one of my favorite fruits. Avocado is packed with nutrients such as folate, potassium, vitamin E and lutein. When in season during the summer months, avocados are always on my weekly grocery list.

Guacamole

People seem to think of guacamole everytime an avocado is mentioned. It’s an easy recipe: mash a whole avocado, add a diced tomato, minced small onion, chopped cilantro, squeeze half a lime, salt, pepper and ground cumin. It’s a delicious dip for corn tortillas or served on the side of homemade enchilladas.

Avocado Spa

Avocado can be mashed and applied on the skin as a moisturizing mask. Many spas offer this treatment for facials, body rubs and foot massages. Before applying avocado on your face and body, test it first on a small patch on your arm to make sure you are not allergic.

First Solid Food for Baby

Avocado was the first choice as soon as my baby started craving solid food. It is easily gummed by my toothless tot, and there is hardly any preparation involved. Just cut the fruit in half, remove the pit and spoon it into baby’s eager mouth.

My eight-month old loves avocado so much, she can eat a half of it in one sitting. I keep the other half refrigerated in a resealable container, ready for the next time my baby wants some more. Remember that avocado turns dark if left out, so if you’re not sure whether your baby can finish a half of an avocado, scrape a smaller portion into a bowl and keep the rest refrigerated.

Egg and Avocado Sandwich
aka Green Egg Sandwich

1 hardboiled egg, diced
half an avocado, mashed
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients above and serve in between toasted bread for a nutritious and delicious lunch. This recipe makes one sandwich.

Planting the Avocado Seed

I immerse the flat half of the avocado seed in water, pointed end upwards, and set it on a sunny spot in the kitchen. I’ve made the mistake once of setting it outdoors and the squirrels ate it! Change the water every couple of days, and you may be surprised with some sprouts! When the sprouts are well formed, plant in potting soil with the tip of the seed peeking above the soil surface. Put the plant out on a sunny area, perhaps on a spot the squirrels can’t dig up. Keep the soil fairly moist and with good drainage.

Avocado Arts and Crafts

After you’ve mashed, eaten or applied the avocado on your skin, there is one more thing you can do. Turn your avocado skins into shrunken heads!

First scrub and wash the inside of the avocado skin until it is clean. Working on a chopping block with the inside of the avocado skin facing you, cut out a couple of eyes, a nose and a mouth. Keep it simple or get creative. Don’t expect it to look like much at first, because the avocado skin needs to dry in the sun for a few days before it shrivels and curls into the gnarly shape of a shrunken head.

If you eat as much avocado as my family does, you’ll have quite a collection of shrunken heads by the end of the summer… just in time for Halloween!

October 24, 2006
Zinc Oxide for Diaper Rash

Along the lines of caring for our baby the best way we know how is the treatment of diaper rash. No matter how careful or diligent a parent one is, there is no avoiding an incident or two of baby developing diaper rash. Perhaps it’s an allergic reaction to something baby ate, or a soiled diaper unchanged while traveling. Early on when we were experimenting with different brands of disposable diapers, we discarded certain brands that irritated our baby’s bottom into a rash.

At the same time that we were searching for better brands of diapers, we were also looking at diaper rash ointments. The most popular one is Desitin, an over the counter zinc oxide ointment that can be found at any local drug store. I read all the ingredients, and did not find the inactive ingredients very appealing, particularly the petroleum base. It seems counteractive to have a known allergen and skin irritant as the base of an ointment that’s supposed to treat a diaper rash.

Luckily I found a product from the Self Health Resource Center, a company reputed to provide pure and petroleum-free products. It is labeled as Deodorant, but it is simply zinc oxide in powder form inside a plastic container. I just add water and shake it. Whatever cream winds up on the cap of the container, I dip my finger on and apply on my baby’s rash. It is so amazingly effective. Overnight, the rash is gone. If it’s a really bad rash, it peels the next day, then disappears shortly.

It is also very cheap. I still haven’t finished the original container I bought in the very beginning, and my baby’s almost a year old. The zinc oxide cream dries up after a while, so I just keep adding water, shaking it and using what winds up on the cap.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Deodorant Zinc Oxide for use as a diaper rash cream.

April 5, 2005
Chlorine-Free Baby Diapers

Long before our baby was born, the subject of diapers has plagued my husband and me. Our midwife suggested using cloth diapers. Cotton is breathable and comfortable against babies’ sensitive skin. Reusable diapers are environmentally responsible.

The problem with cloth diapers lies in the cleaning process. The right way to do it would be to flush solids and handwash all diapers in the sink using castile or olive oil soap. Personally, I find it a very time consuming process for a work-at-home mom. Throwing soiled, even rinsed, diapers in the washing machine does not sound sanitary either. Laundry bleach is out of the question, considering all the reports we have read about the health hazards of this common household chemical.

Our midwife suggested a diaper cleaning service that would pick up soiled diapers, and deliver clean ones. My husband and I discussed this option and found it unacceptable to have our child’s diapers mixed in with other babies’ diapers. To promote sanitation, diaper services use bleach when washing large amounts of diapers. Again, laundry bleach is a health hazard, and a menace to the environment.

What my husband and I finally decided on were disposable diapers that claim to be chlorine-free. I tried four different brands:

Seventh Generation is my favorite yet. This diaper is a light brown color, uses chlorine-free materials to absorb wetness and keeps my baby’s bottom dry through the night. Whenever I change her, I am really pleased with how dry her bum is, almost as if she had a layer of baby powder on her. Sometimes when the diaper is very full, I see some gel-like particles on her skin, but this happens very infrequently.

Tender Care claims to be chlorine-free although the diaper itself is white. Perhaps they whiten their product with non-chlorine alternatives. The sticker is too sticky and removing it tears the whole plastic top apart. Definitely not for overnight use, this diaper needs to be changed diligently every two hours maximum.

Tushies is another favorite. I like alternating this diaper with the Seventh Generation brand so that my baby’s bum doesn’t get chafed by the same shape of diaper all the time. This brand claims to be gel-free, no absorbent polymer which the Seventh Generation brand has. Tushies uses wood pulp whitened with chlorine-free hydrogen peroxide.

I had ordered the four brands above from Amazon, but lucky for me, the brands I wound up liking best are available at my local health food store.

March 24, 2005
Produce Number Codes

Ever notice the numbers attached to your produce? You see them on stickers, or on the wire holding a bunch of leafy greens together. Those numbers reveal more than the price you pay at the cashier. Produce number codes also clue you in to the way your fruit and vegetables are grown.

5 digits starting with 9 means the produce is organic.
5 digits starting with 8 means the produce is genetically modified.
4 digits means the produce was grown using conventional farming methods, with chemical fertilizers.

February 23, 2005
Essential Vitamins and Minerals in Foods

Sometimes I find myself in a rut, buying the same fruits and vegetables week by week. Not only is this boring to eat, it also provides a limited range of vitamins and minerals for me and my family. It might be easier to take a multivitamin pill, but so much more effective and enjoyable to eat nutritious foods. So I did some research on essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need to be healthy, as well as the best food sources for these.

Vitamin A promotes vision in dim light, mucous membranes, bones, teeth and skin. Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, butternut squash, cantaloupe, mangoes, apricots, broccoli, watermelon, tuna.

(Vitamins B)

Thiamin keeps carbohydrate metabolism and nervous system in good condition. Pasta, peanuts, legumes, watermelon, oranges, brown rice, oatmeal, eggs.

Riboflavin takes care of the skin, and fat / protein / carbohydrate metabolism. Milk, avocadoes, tangerines, prunes, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, salmon, turkey.

Niacin promotes effective use of oxygen by our cells, fat / protein / carbohydrate metabolism, and the nervous system. Peanut butter, legumes, soybeans, whole-grain cereals, broccoli, asparagus, baked potatoes, fish.

Vitamin B6 is for protein metabolism. Soybeans, avocadoes, lima beans, bananas, cauliflower, green peppers, potatoes, spinach, raisins, fish.

Folate is the same as folic acid, which is good for red blood cell tissue growth and repair. Legumes, mushrooms, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, tuna.

Vitamin B12 promotes new tissue growth, red blood cells, the nervous system and the skin. Eggs, salmon, swordfish, tuna, clams, crab, mussels, oysters.

Biotin metabolizes fat, protein and carbohydrates. Peanut butter, oatmeal, nuts, cauliflower, legumes, eggs.

Pantothenic Acid aids in the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Whole-grain cereals, mushrooms, avocadoes, broccoli, peanuts, cashews, lentils, soybeans, eggs, fish.

Vitamin C builds collagen, healthy gums, teeth and blood vessels. Oranges, grapefruit, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, melons, broccoli, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries.

Vitamin D is good for calcium absorption, bones and teeth. Sunlight, cereals, eggs, milk, butter, tuna and salmon.

Vitamin E protects cells from damage. Nut and vegetable oils, mangoes, blackberries, apples, broccoli, peanuts, spinach.

Vitamin K prevents blood clotting. Spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, parsley, carrots, avocadoes, tomatoes, eggs, dairy.

Calcium builds strong bones and teeth, muscles and nerves, and prevents blood from clotting. Broccoli, green beans, almonds, turnip greens, orange juice, milk, cheese, yogurt, salmon and sardines with bones.

Chloride aids in digestion. It works with sodium to maintain fluid balance. Salt.

Chromium assists in metabolism of carbohydrates. Whole grains, broccoli, grape juice, orange juice, black pepper.

Copper is good for the blood cells and connective tissues. Nuts, cherries, cocoa, mushrooms, gelatin, legumes, oysters, shellfish, fish, eggs.

Flouride protects the tooth enamel. Tea, fish.

Iodine promotes thyroid function. Spinach, iodized salt, lobster, shrimp, oysters, milk.

Iron brings oxygen in blood and is good for metabolizing energy. Asparagus, spinach, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, tofu, clams.

Magnesium protects the bones, nerve and muscle function. Molasses, nuts, spinach, pumpkin seeds, baked potatoes, broccoli, bananas, seafood, dairy.

Manganese is good for the bones, connective tissues and fat / carbohydrate metabolism. Nuts, legumes, tea, dried fruits, spinach, green leafy vegetables.

Molybdenum helps in nitrogen metabolism. Legumes, whole-grain cereals, dairy.

Phosphorus metabolizes energy. It works with Calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Cereals, fish, eggs, dairy.

Potassium keeps acids balanced. It also works with Sodium to maintain fluid balance. Baked potatoes, avocadoes, dried fruit, yogurt, cantaloupe, spinach, bananas, mushrooms, tomatoes.

Selenium works with Vitamin E to protect cells and body tissue. Whole grain cereals, mushrooms, Brazil nuts, dairy, fish and shellfish.

Sodium keeps the fluid balanced and the nervous system in good condition. Salt, soy sauce, seasonings.

Zinc aids in wound healing, growth, appetite and sperm production. Lima beans, legumes, nuts, oysters, seafood, dairy.

January 23, 2005