You are the Parent. You Can Say Politely and Firmly Decline Unwanted Medical Treatment

You are the Parent. You Can Say Politely and Firmly Decline Unwanted Medical Treatment

“Oh, yeah, I refused that. And I’d let them weigh them, but with their clothes on, it’s cold in Montana.” I was talking with a friend about WIC appointments that we went to when my older kids were toddlers. WIC is food assistance for families with young children that are in a lower income bracket, in addition to providing specific food and formula (the kinds vary by state), they also screen for nutrition-related problems in young children by taking blood to test iron levels and weighing them to check for growth.

“I need to hang out with you more. I’m such a rule follower, but we were going to her next well baby visit in 3 days, I didn’t see why the WIC office needed to poke her and check her iron levels too.”

Why rules are there

There are parents who aren’t as educated or logical about healthcare choices as you are, which is not bad or wrong, but the rules put in place to protect their children may not apply to yours.

The WIC rule of checking hematocrit at every visit, even if the child is scheduled for a well baby visit in a few days protects the child who’s well baby visit gets missed on accident, her parents didn’t know that her tiredness and paleness could be due to low iron, and she misses needed iron supplementation to support her development.

The antibiotic eye ointment protects the newborn whose mom unknowingly contacted an STD while she was pregnant; the preventative eye ointment protects this child from going blind.

The pediatrician’s nurse insisting on checking baby’s weight while they wear nothing, not even a diaper (even though it’s cold and baby doesn’t like to be naked!) helps keep accurate weights and prevents alarm from inconsistencies with weighing. Inconsistencies could look like the child is failing to thrive when he’s really not, or they could look like the child is gaining well when he, in fact, is not.

When you can make an exception

There are lots of times when our children don’t fall into the target group that certain rules are designed to protect.

We may be very sure that we did not contract an STD during pregnancy, and therefore we can choose to decline erythromycin eye ointment in our newborn (see The Empowered Mother chapter 23 to help you think through this decision).

We can be aware of the signs of anemia in our infant or toddler and request a blood test if we’re concerned. We can make sure we follow up with any well baby care that is needed. And we can provide a diet filled with iron-rich foods as well as the B and C vitamins needed to absorb iron to lessen our children’s likelihood of having anemia. (see The Empowered Mother chapter 20 for anemia and iron decisions made during pregnancy)

We can know that our 12-month-old who is growing out of his 24-month clothing and eats whole healthy foods every day does not need as accurate of a weight check as a baby who is in a low percentile and may not be eating well or has other health issues. In this case, we may want to avoid stripping our obviously thriving toddler down to a diaper in the cold WIC office for a super accurate weight check.

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No, your practitioner won’t be mad

You’re not being a rebel without a cause.

Your doctor and you both have the same goal: To have a healthy child.

Occasionally you may run into a care provider who is having a bad day and is not interested in accommodating parental choice, but for the most part politely asking for their supervisor resolves the issue easily.

When you are able to articulate that you understand the reasoning for certain rules, and then explain why you do not think this particular practice is necessary for the health of your child, your practitioner won’t lump you in with the mothers who don’t care about the health of their child, but rather they will just see you as your child’s advocate.

In addition, as an empowered mother who makes informed decisions and takes the health of not only her children but other children seriously, your practitioner will appreciate that you’re coming to her with educated questions that are relevant to your child’s health.

These questions may be something like this:

• We have a well baby visit tomorrow, but my child has a cold with a rash – do you want me to reschedule so that we don’t get the other well babies sick? (well baby visits are often all scheduled at the same time so that there isn’t a mix of sick and well children in the waiting room)
• I’ve measured his birth mark, and it’s staying consistent, is there anything that I need to be concerned about with it?
• We were exposed to pertussis, and now one of my children has a cold – I’m going to keep them home from school until we confirmed that they don’t have pertussis. Could you call in a lab test for me?

How to politely decline

While I briefly worked as a receptionist in an accountant’s office I was shocked to hear the accountant asking IRS during the audit of a client, “Okay, so how much of this do you really need?”

The answer was about 25% of what they had asked for at first – a few key documents that supported the tax returns in question.

Yes, that’s right. Many authorities have form letters that they send out asking for everything they could ever need and more. Just stopping to question what was really needed saved the CPA office hours and hours of photocopying, and it can start a conversation that shows that yes you are willing to work with whoever is asking the questions, but no, you don’t think that everything they’re asking is essential.

Carrying the question of “How much do you really need?” into other areas of my life has paved the way to having less unneeded interventions for my children, while still maintaining a good relationship with our care providers.

To politely decline different policies, whether it’s the glucose tolerance test in pregnancy, anemia screening in your thriving toddler, or routine antibiotics before a dental procedure, follow these three steps.

1. Show understanding of why they are requesting what they are requesting.

• “I understand that accurate weight checks are important”
• “I understand that the tooth is infected, and it will release bacteria into my bloodstream”
• “I understand that glucose screenings are done because gestational diabetes can cause complications with the baby and mom.”

2. Neutrally state your concerns about the standard testing.

• “He doesn’t like to have his clothes taken off – it’s a little cool in here, and he’s never had trouble with weight gain.”
• “I’m breastfeeding and the baby doesn’t take a bottle. He hasn’t been exposed to antibiotics ever and I’d like him to avoid them unless it’s a significant issue.”
• “I have a hard time fasting as would be needed for the GTT, in addition I’m already feeling sick from morning sickness and I think that the GTT drink would make it even worse.”

3. Offer a compromise.

• “Let’s just do the weight check with his clothes on, we can just note it in the chart that his clothes were on. If you want to ask your supervisor, I don’t mind waiting.”
• “I”ll fill the prescription, and I’ll take it if I’m showing signs of infection like a fever.”
• “I’d be happy to do random blood glucose checks, but I don’t want to fast since I get light headed if I don’t eat when I get up. I don’t believe that I’m at risk for gestational diabetes due to not having excessive thirst or urination, not showing extreme weight gain in pregnancy, and having no other GD risk factors, so I would also be comfortable skipping the GD screening unless I present with other risk factors.”

Keeping a respectful and helpful attitude while still advocating for your children

Coming into appointments expecting confrontation, or being overly nervous will set off all sorts of alarms in your care provider’s eyes. It can be hard to go against the flow when making medical decisions for your children, but with some practice of being calm and polite, and still arriving at a solution that works for you and keeps your child healthy without unneeded intervention.

We also want to be sure we’re choosing our battles. If something is minimally invasive, we may just opt to go with the flow. Whenever it’s possible I try to place the ball in the care provider’s court by allowing whatever they feel strongly about but I’m fairly neutral about (like weight checks, urinalysis in pregnancy, referring to specialists when I’m not sure there is a need), and since we have a good relationship, this has served me well.

Do you want to learn more about questioning routine care in pregnancy and baby’s early life?

I’m just now putting the final edits into The Empowered Mother, but you can still get it at the great presale discount! Look for your final version later this week. Click here to learn more.

Original article and pictures take healthhomeandhappiness.com site

You Are a Superorganism – How to Nourish this Microbial Self

You Are a Superorganism – How to Nourish this Microbial Self

You are a Superorganism – How to Nourish Your Microbial Self

You many not know this but, you are a superorganism and you need to learn how to nourish this microbial self.

Allergies, asthma, autoimmunity and autism are the new epidemics. These non-communicable diseases (chronic inflammatory illnesses) are the foremost health issue facing the population today.

However, we can prevent these overwhelming issues from infancy and and treat them in adulthood.

A new book written by Dr. Rodney Dietert, called, The Human Superorganism is a fascinating read if you are a microbiome nerd, like me. He focuses on two of the foremost concepts in human health and busts them with real science.

Contrary to previous medical thinking – humans need the microorganisms that live in various microbial communities on our skin and in our gut. In addition, it is not the human genome that is the key to future medical advances – it is the human microbiome.

The Human Genome Project informed us that we have more microbial genes than human genes. In this respect we can consider humans as a superorganism that houses communities of microbes that both help and harm us.

Toxicology Through the Lens of the Human and Microbial Communities

With our ever-expanding knowledge about how the colonies of microbes work in our body, we have discovered that everything that affects us, affects our bacteria.

When we are exposed to toxins in the environment or through food, our bacteria are the first to see the problems and they are there to respond.

Environmental chemicals such as glyphosates, phalates, BPA, medications and other toxicants not only affect human cells and organ systems (endocrine disruption), they also disrupt the colonies of microbes that we host.

In particular, medications should be reevaluated to assess each individual microbiome and whether or not it is appropriate for this person. For instance the commonly used drug, Metformin, has been found to change the gut ecology in both positive and negative ways. This is important information to gather on all medications.

Microbial Diversity Begins At Birth

The birth event is the most critical period for seeding the baby with microbes. Vaginal delivery is the best way to establish this, as well as skin to skin contact afterwards.

If the baby is a c-section, he/she will pick up the microbes from the hospital environment and this affects the maturation of the physiology and increases risk for obesity, asthma, type 1 diabetes.

Breast feeding also transfers microbes, but more importantly, is transfers substances that are not for human cells, but are food for the microbes – prebiotics. Infant formula just doesn’t cut it due to the poor quality of proteins and processed oils.

The galactoligosacchrides in breast milk set the stage for a healthy babies’ microbiome.

The human immune system at birth is not mature at all. The microbes and the immune system grow up together and change and mature over the first few years of life. The immune system gets exposed to toxins and pollutants and learns how to distinguish between what needs to be dealt with and what is self.

If the immune system starts to misfire, allergies and autoimmunity will start to develop.

There is a lot of research that shows that our kids are too clean. In addition, family size and pets affect diversity. Dogs will help to transfer microbes. Sharing microbes will help extend diversity in general. However, if the family members have a poor microbiome, these poor microbes will also be shared.

It pays to correct the mother’s microbiome before pregnancy.

Rebiosis in Adults

This is an emerging field and one that I hope will be investigated thoroughly. Currently we know that eating real food without additives, eating fermented foods – especially of your heritage and staying away for processed foods with additives are good ways to optimize your microbiome.

Diet plays a huge role in shaping the microbiome. Eating a diverse array of fermented foods provides different strains of bacteria. Leafy greens have also been found to feed the bacteria.

Microbiota enterotypes are linked to our ancestors and the diets they ate. In order to shift your microbiome for health, it is wise to try to stay within your enterotype or heritage.

An emerging treatment called Fecal Microbial Transplant (FMT) has been established as an incredibly effective treatment for recurrent c. difficile infections (which can be life threatening and debilitating).

Research is being conducted on FMT for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may also emerge as an individualized treatment for other ailments since it addresses the most basic cause of chronic disease – an imbalance in the microbiome – also called dysbiosis.

Individualized treatments may involve finding which families and species of bacteria are missing in your gut and actually getting FMT treatments tailored to provide these missing microbes. I can’t wait for this individualized treatment to become a reality.

Probiotics

Strain specificity is very important. There are many sub-strains of lactobacillus – many of which do not colonize in the gut. Many strains simply pass through the gut, but they still provide services to the human host. Therefore, eating fermented foods and taking probiotics is a good idea.

The hope is that they will eventually take up residence and you can continue to feed them with fiber and resistant starch.

The research will continue to reveal which strains and which genes will provide specific benefits to humans. For some people, it may turn out to be a single species that can restore health to certain individuals.

Sometimes there is only one species (keystone species) that takes over and controls the ability of desirable species to develop. This has been discussed by Dr. Leo Galland and called the Alexander Effect. Alexander organisms are organisms that can organize and direct other microbes. We need more research into these microbes.

I like this probiotic and this probiotic.

Top Rebiosis Strategies

Fiber in the Diet

Fiber feeds the bacteria. Some people have conditions that prevent them from tolerating fiber (SIBO, certain individuals with IBD or IBS). There is a gray area here and some people will have to learn how to support the microbes without exacerbating a medical condition.

Find out about resistant starch here.

Heal the Gut

Microbiome barriers protect us from misfiring of the immune system. When there is barrier dysbiosis – leaky gut, leaky brain and leaky skin can develop. There are also microbial barriers in the lungs. The health of all these microbial barriers must be taken into consideration.

Treg cells dampen the hyper-immune response and are critical cells that help balance the immune response. The immune system can be healed back into balance.

Find out how to heal your gut and feel great in my e-book Heal Your Microbiome Optimize Your Health.

Get much more information about the microbiome research that is going on today in Dr. Rodney Dietert’s new book: The Human Superorganism.

Original article and pictures take realfoodforager.com site

Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Yogurt Blueberry Bites

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Yield – 4 snack servings

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cooking Time – 2 hours, freeze time

Ingredients

Directions

• Stir up some yogurt in a bowl.
• Drop in fresh blueberries and coat them in the yogurt.
• Drop each blueberry yogurt bite onto a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Freeze for 2 hours, then transfer to a plastic container and baggie.
• Keep in the freezer until ready to eat.

Original article and pictures take 344apz3bh6di1m0sag1etg3fxyz.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com site

Yes, I Love Essential Oils, But I Will Never Sell Them

Yes, I Love Essential Oils, But I Will Never Sell Them

If you’ve been reading here in the last year or two, you know that I love me some essential oils. I slowly started dabbling with using them after rave reviews from people I trust.

While I think some of the claims about them you’ll read on the internet are way over-dramatized (i.e. “MY DOG WAS CURED OF CANCER BECAUSE OF OILS!!!”), I have fallen madly in love with a number of different oils and we use them on a very regular basis.

Here are three reasons I especially love essential oils:

1. I Love That They Last Seemingly Forever

Okay, so technically I have used up a few bottles of essential oils over the past two years, but because you only need a few drops (or less than that!), one bottle can last for months and months and months.

2. I Love That They Have Multiple Uses

I love that one bottle of essential oils can be used for dozens of different things. You can mix it with coconut oil and rub it on the bottom of your feet, you can diffuse it, you can put a few drops in your bath, you can make homemade cleaners with it, you can use it in homemade personal care products, and on and on it goes.

3. I Love That They Are So Inexpensive

Because they have multiple uses and because they seem to last just about forever, essential oils truly can be a very frugal alternative to paying for over-the-counter drugs or other herbal remedies.

Some of the bottles and brands can be quite pricey. But there are other kinds and brands on the market that are very reasonably priced.

Why I Don’t Sell Essential Oils

With my self-proclaimed love of essential oils, so many people have been shocked to discover I have no interest in selling them. I have been strongly encouraged over and over again by various consultants of essential oil companies to sign up under them and sell oils.

But unless some major something or other swoops in and completely and drastically alters my life, I don’t foresee myself ever selling oils.

There are a number of reasons why I don’t sell oils:

I don’t need to start another business. My life is plenty full without me signing up with a company and then having to mess with all the details involved with running that oil business.

I know that it’s been a great business for some of my friends, but most of them only do oils as their business — not oils plus writing and speaking and blogging. I may sometimes try to push too hard, but I do know my limits on this one.

I am not passionate enough about oils to sell them. I think that it’s fantastic that some of my friends are making an amazing income selling oils, but almost every single one of them who is, is intensely passionate about essential oils.

They love them fiercely. They love talking about them. They can’t not talk about them. I like essential oils, but not enough to live and breathe them as a business.

I don’t think anyone should sign up to sell something just to make money. Unfortunately, one of the big reasons people have tried to get me to sign up to sell essential oils is so I can make “a lot of money”. I’ve had people tell me I am just throwing money away to not sell them.

I’ve had people even yell at me saying I was being ridiculous to not sell them because I could make so much money to give away. If you have a choice, I don’t think you should ever do something just to make money. Period.

If there’s not heart and passion behind it, there’s no fulfillment that comes from that. And it’s a very quick way to set yourself up for being miserable and exhausted.

I love my friends too much — and wouldn’t want to hurt relationships. So here’s one of the big reasons I don’t sell essential oils: I have good friends who sell different brands. I’m not brand loyal and like multiple brands. So how would I ever be able to choose which brand to sign up under?

Regardless of what brand I signed up with and who I signed up under, I think it could potentially hurt relationships or cause awkwardness. Like I were playing favorites with people I love dearly. It’s not worth it for me to hurt relationships I hold dear just for the sake of earning an income.

I am not brand loyal. I mentioned it above, but it deserves it’s own paragraph. I could never choose which brand to sign up with, because I like some of the oils from some brands and other oils from other brands.

I like to be able to pick and choose my favorites from among the brands instead of feeling like I can only stick with one brand because that’s the brand I sell.

Would you like to try out essential oils and you’re wondering how to get started with them? Well, I’ve got GREAT news for you!

Through Monday only, you can download The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle at the low, low price of $29.97. That is 97% off the $1900+ value!

This bundle is filled with inspirational ebooks, e-courses, and free bonuses to help you feed your family better, get healthier, and feel more energetic.

Best of all, there are some fantastic resources on essential oils, including:

And yes, I am promoting a Healthy Living Bundle that I will make money off of if you click through my link and purchase. My ebook is a part of this bundle, so that’s one reason.

But I am not just promoting this bundle because I make money off of it… I really and truly believe it is an AMAZING collection of resources.

Even if you only download the e-courses on essential oils + grab the three free essential oils (just pay $6.95 shipping!), it is every bit worth the low, low price of $29.97!

Original article and pictures take moneysavingmom.com site

Yes, I Am Opposed to Vaccines

Yes, I Am Opposed to Vaccines

I’ve been sort of hesitant to be so blatant about my stance on vaccines.

I’ve certainly said in the past that we don’t vaccinate. I’ve also said that I support a parent’s right to choose for their own children — and that hasn’t changed.

But, I haven’t come right out and said it, because of the culture we live in right now. People go a little nutty when you start talking about vaccines. These days, you can’t say you have so much as a concern about annual flu shots, or “too much too soon,” before you’re branded as an utter anti-science quack (even if you’re a doctor). I’ve tried to be more cautious in what I’ve said, so as not to upset these people, but…enough is enough. They already think I’m crazy and I’m not really here to prove anything to them.

So, in honor of Vaccine Injury Awareness Month (October)…here it is: I oppose vaccines.

Yes, I Am Opposed to Vaccines

What do I mean by, “oppose vaccines?”

I do not get them for my own family. I will never. There is not a single situation I can think of where I’d be okay with receiving vaccines. No, not if there were a Zika vaccine or an Ebola vaccine. No, not if there were some crazy global pandemic. No, not if I traveled to a third world country. True health is not found in a needle.

I’m up front about this. I think vaccines are a bad idea. That is — I think the premise was originally a good idea (hey! what if we introduce a tiny amount of virus/bacteria into our bodies to produce antibodies without getting a full-blown illness and therefore avoid the related complications? cool!), but it’s just not that simple now.

And yes, I think vaccines are pretty universally a bad idea, as they stand today. I’m not going to tell you you’re a bad person if you disagree with me, nor will I tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t get them…but I don’t recommend them. I’m not the kind of person who thinks everyone else has to agree with me. But I’m not going to hide my opinion, either.

How Could Anyone Oppose Vaccines?

You may already be on board with me, cheering that I said this. You may be scratching your head, truly confused as to why I’d say it. Or you may be breathing fire that I would dare say this when I have such a large audience I could influence. If you’re of the latter category, might I just suggest that this site isn’t for you and you just see your way out? You won’t convince me to change my mind about vaccines or talking openly about it, so, let’s just not try.

Vaccines are a super, super complicated topic. I couldn’t possibly cover it all right here, in a single post. There’s just far too much.

To simplify it, though — basically, we can’t “trick” the immune system into developing in a normal, healthy way. It would be nice if we could, but we can’t. There are unintended consequences that occur when the immune system avoids normal challenges (i.e. illness) and when it is introduced to aluminum, thimerosal, and a number of other chemicals that don’t belong in our bodies at such a young age. It primes us for chronic inflammation, which can lead to autoimmune disorders, cancer, neurological disorders, and more, down the road.

Beyond this…I am concerned about some of the ingredients in vaccines, namely, aluminum. It’s a known neurotoxin. It’s found in Pentacel, Pediarix, Hep A, Hep B, HPV, meningococcal, pneumococcal, Tdap (but NOT DTaP).

I cannot get into all my concerns here. Here are a few more posts to read on individual issues:

Make sure you click that last link. There are are a ton more posts that I didn’t link above that may interest you. Those posts are well-cited with research that I won’t rehash here.

There’s No Logic in Pro-Vax World

I’ve heard some really…interesting forms of “logic” from adamant pro-vaxxers that makes me really just question everything they say. How could it not?

They deny that vaccines could ever cause any injury, despite that anything can injure someone. People are allergic to peanuts. Of course some people can’t have vaccines. People react badly to antibiotics. Of course some people react badly to vaccines. Even when the reaction occurs within minutes to hours, it’s considered “coincidence.” In thousands of cases. There’s a huge blind spot here, obviously.

They believe that if fully-vaccinated children in highly-vaccinated communities get sick, that it was somehow all those anti-vaxxers that caused it. Which doesn’t even make sense — because if “herd immunity” works, then illnesses shouldn’t be able to circulate among a highly-vaccinated community. They ignore the very real, rational explanation of vaccine failure, and still blame “anti-vaxxers” (even if no unvaccinated kids are even sick…).

They think that healthy children get sick more than immunocompromised children, which doesn’t even make sense. Immunocompromised children (or adults) are always at greater risk of illness, any illness, than healthy people. That’s why they are considered immunocompromised! Anyone with common sense can see that this is not “logic” at all.

They think that vaccines boost the overall immune system. They think that vaccines can prevent illnesses they weren’t designed to prevent. Some think they can prevent colds or fevers or stomach viruses…even though we don’t have vaccines for these things. This is not how vaccines work…even if you believe they work as they’re supposed to.

There are many more examples. But these things make me think people have a poor understanding of health. That’s not a reason in and of itself to oppose vaccines, but it is a reason not to necessarily trust them for advice. My reasons for opposing vaccines have to do with my view of health and wellness, and the design and contents of vaccines, but I choose not to take health advice from people who make these basic mistakes.

Where Does This Leave Us?

Here’s the thing. It’s not my job to make this decision for you.

It’s not anyone’s job to make this decision for you. I’m being completely up front about my opinion. But I won’t call you names and I won’t judge you for your choices. I will not call you a “sheeple” or say you didn’t do any research if you choose to vaccinate. I won’t get nasty with you. Your decision is between you and your chosen medical professional and immediate family.

I will suggest that your decision shouldn’t be fear-based, though. Don’t vaccinate because you’re afraid of these diseases — ask more questions until you understand each one of them. Don’t skip vaccines because you’re afraid of a vaccine reaction — ask more questions until you understand the risks of vaccines vs. the risks of each disease. Fear has no place in this discussion. I won’t try to scare you into or out of vaccines.

And, you know what? I prefer, personally, to be part of a community where everyone lays their cards on the table as to what they believe, and they can have an honest discussion about it without rudeness and insults. I prefer to be able to discuss the issue with people who don’t automatically get condescending and insulting towards me because I have a different view on health. Wouldn’t you prefer to talk to people who are the same way — even if you end up choosing vaccines?

I simply do not and will not discuss the issue any further with people who think that all vaccines are great, all the time, and that anyone who questions them doesn’t have a brain and ought not to talk about the issue at all. I don’t care if people think that’s censorship, or a lack of transparency. I don’t have time in my life to waste justifying my choices to people who don’t care and won’t change their minds no matter what I say. It’s not edifying for me or anyone else.

Plus, I’ve found that people who feel that way start out with thinly veiled condescension and barely-restrained hostility. It’s clear from their words and mannerisms that they’re sighing over my sheer stupidity and their only goal is to make me see that I’m wrong — without ever understanding why I believe as I do. I really just will not discuss with these type of people anymore. I will openly delete and ban them. Even if they’re not rude. Why? Because no one’s changing their mind, and usually when I engage, it goes back and forth a couple of times before the insults and personal attacks come out. It’s just not worth it.

Now, if you have honest questions and you’re just confused, that’s totally different. We all want the same thing — healthy children. We all want to protect our children the best way we know how. We can have an honest discussion about what that looks like and what our options are, if we know that at the end of the day, we can agree to disagree if necessary and walk away without insults or rudeness.

That’s my stance. I’ve been reading for so long, and I continue to read new research that comes out, and there’s nothing that’s going to make me change my mind at this point and decide vaccines are good. (And if you are staunchly pro-vax, don’t sigh over that. You aren’t changing your mind, either.)

I’m hoping to open up a reasonable dialogue among parents who aren’t looking for a one-size-fits all answer. Who are tired of being branded as “crazy” just for questioning vaccines. Who want to know if vaccines are truly the best option or if maybe there’s another way. Who are truly interested in a rational, science-based, natural approach to parenting. That’s where we are. That’s what this community is about. In fact, you can join us in our private Facebook group if you’d like to be in on the discussion.

I just thought I’d be completely honest about my opinion and where I am on this issue. My cards are out of the table — are you going to lay yours down, too?

Are you opposed to vaccines too? Why or why not?

Original article and pictures take modernalternativehealth.com site

Worlds Sexiest Weirdo Novelty T-Shirt

Worlds Sexiest Weirdo Novelty T-Shirt

World Sexiest weirdo World Sexiest weirdo royal-blue

Original article and pictures take getbenttees.com site

World’s Best Lacto-Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

World’s Best Lacto-Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

Growing up, my mom’s homemade dill pickles were always kind of famous.

And dill pickles were kind of a big deal for Old Colony Mennonites growing up in Canada. They’re a key element in faspa, the meal you serve your guests on late Sunday afternoons (a spread of homemade buns and condiments like jam and butter, along with peanut butter, cheese, coffee, pickles, and baked sweets). My friends and cousins would scarf the pickles down by the bowl full, and my mom would have to keep bringing out more jars from the kooma (storage room) to replenish them.

So I have pretty high standards when it comes to dill pickles. Not too vinegary; plenty of dill; a hint of garlic; and the perfect balance of salt and pickling spice. And the cukes have to be just the right size – not too small and shrively, but also not big enough to have visible seeds. About the length of your index finger is perfect.

In recent years, when learning about nourishing traditional foods, I discovered that pickles as we know them now – brined in vinegar and water-bath or pressure canned to preserve them – aren’t the same things that pickles once were. Canning is actually a pretty recent invention, and folks have only been doing it for a couple of generations. But pickling goes way back, long before electric stoves and factories. Pickling didn’t originally involve vinegar or canning at all: it involved a process of lacto-fermentation – encouraging lactic acid and probiotics to preserve foods for longer storage.

I’ve also learned of the great health benefits of fermented foods, and have tried to slowly incorporate more in my diet – through homemade yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and lacto-fermented vegetables.

If you’ve read anything about traditional foods (and if you’re a regular R&H reader, you probably have), you already know all about the benefits of including fermented foods in your diet to improve your gut flora. Fermented foods contain millions of probiotics which are key to good digestion and overall health.

I especially try to eat them throughout the winter, when fresh fruits and vegetables are largely absent from the table and my stomach is missing the live enzymes. The probiotics keep my family’s digestive systems running smoothly on all those heavy soups and stews.

One of the most palatable ways to get fermented vegetables in your diet, I’ve found, is through dill pickles – they’re already a familiar food to most of us. Not everyone is ready to try kimchi or milk kefir. Fermented dill pickles, however, taste a lot like the vinegary type – just less acidic and more refreshing.

At first I tried the standard pickled cucumber recipe in the famous Nourishing Traditions, but found it a little boring. And, well, they didn’t taste like my mom’s.

So I took the principles of fermented dill pickles from Nourishing Traditions and combined them with the spices of my mom’s famous recipe.

And voila! A perfect fermented dill pickle was born!

Now, these do need to be stored in your fridge (or a very cool closet or basement, if you have one . . . which I don’t), so you probably only want to make one or two jars at a time. This recipe is for one quart.

My husband and I no longer serve our guests faspa, so we don’t go through a lot of pickles – two quart jars are generally enough to last us the year.

I first made a batch with this recipe in July of 2012, and I was thrilled to discover that by the following January (that is, six months later), they were still as crispy as the day I put them in the fridge. Amazing what a few (million) bacteria can do!

(See? So yummy, even my little girl couldn’t help stealing them in the midst of my photo shoot.)

Notes:

I use whey to kick-start my ferment – the kind you get when you strain yogurt. (Homemade or store-bought yogurt is fine, as long as it has live cultures.) Whey supplies lactobacilli and acts as an inoculant against spoiling bacteria, allowing lactic acid to be produced and preserve the cukes. Salt alone can do the job, but I prefer to use whey as insurance.

Also: the process of fermentation creates a brine that looks very different from vinegar-brined pickles. The liquid will get cloudy and perhaps a bit bubbly. That does not mean anything has gone wrong. In fact, it has gone quite right! The pickles inside will look perfectly normal and delicious.

And the best way to tell whether your ferment has gone well is to smell and taste it. If it goes bad, you will know it. It will smell rotten and awful. If it tastes pleasantly sour, you’re good to go! The good bacteria won!

Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site

Winter Squash With Rice

Winter Squash With Rice

Winter Squash With Rice is a delicious comfort meal for babies 8 months and above.

Rice has always been a comfort food in my family. A quick one-pot rice meal is welcomed by everyone on any hectic day. My daughter too loved these meals as a baby and still relishes them.

I used to add various vegetable available in season and make rice meals for her. Today I am sharing rice meal recipe that I make quite often for my daughter during these fall days.

Since it is a rice meal, you can use a rice variety according to your preference.

In the following recipe, I have used Samo rice, but as I have mentioned above, you can use any rice variety that you prefer. You can also use brown rice for this recipe.

Here I have cooked rice with acorn squash and butternut squash and added some dried oregano, cumin seeds, and basil leaves to it, just for flavor and aroma. I have also added little baby dill leaves to this recipe.

The aroma of this herbs makes it smell delicious.

Rice is a very good source of proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. It is said that rice was originated in India, which was then introduced to China around 3000 years BC. This grain was imported as an article of trade to Sicily-Italy, by Arab merchants till the 15th century.

Its cultivation was introduced to Mediterranean region by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Rice was first sowed in America in 1647. Today the U.S is one of the largest exporters of rice.

As we all know rice is widely available nationwide. So choose any rice variety that you prefer. You can just grind the rice grains in the food processor for few seconds and break them for baby food. Broken rice takes less time cook.

In case you are interested in using Samo Rice- this variety of rice is available in most of the Indian grocery stores.

Print

Winter Squash With Broken Rice

Important Note:

Talk to your baby’s Pediatrician before starting any new food.

© EasyBabyMeals. All the content is copyright protected. Do not use without prior permission.

Original article and pictures take www.easybabymeals.com site

Winter Squash With Cumin

Winter Squash With Cumin

Winter Squash With Cumin is a savory meal for babies 6 months and above.

We are already in the Halloween Month. With a lot of squashes and winter vegetables in the season, I thought of sharing a recipe made of something that is fresh and easily available in the market.

Today I making something made out of Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash. Now some of you may ask are these really made for babies, and I would answer- Of course they are.

In fact, all the recipes published on this blog, are all backed up by a reading and reaching on the internet and mainly they are relished by my daughter on day to day basis.

I have introduced my daughter to various textures, taste, and aromas. Everything was introduced at an appropriate age. With such an exposure, now she is eager to try new foods. With this little note, let’s start making something for our babies.

In this recipe, I have used butternut squash and acorn squash and added a pinch of cumin powder to it. Both of these winter squashes can be introduced to babies as early as 6 months. They can be a healthy addition to baby’s first diet.

Butternut squash has an elongated bell shape, with a tan color. Its flesh is orange in color and has a sweet nutty flavor. While acorn squash, as a deep green color with an acorn shape. It also comes in the yellow or orange shade. Its flesh is yellowish orange in color and is sweet in flavor.

Butternut squash and Acorn squash are high in vitamins and minerals and are a good source of fiber. They are packed with a bunch of antioxidants as well. Since they are in season right now, they are easily available in grocery stores, whole food stores, and farmers’ market.

Storing them is simple. Keep both of these squashes in a cool dry place. Once cut, wrap its flesh in a plastic. And store it in a refrigerator.

Print

Winter Squash With Cumin

• These squashes can also be baked, instead of cooking them in a pot. Only thing is it will take more time to cook.
• You can add some unsalted butter to this purée if the baby is ready to have dairy.
• You can also mix this puree with any baby cereal (rice, oats, multigrain, whole grain)
• If the puree gets too thick, you can mix some water/breast milk/formula to achieve the required consistency.

Important Note:

Talk to your baby’s Pediatrician before starting any new food.

© EasyBabyMeals. All the content is copyright protected. Do not use without prior permission.

Original article and pictures take www.easybabymeals.com site

Why You Should Use Colostrum to Support Your Digestion and Immune System

Why You Should Use Colostrum to Support Your Digestion and Immune System

If you have been following Oh Lardy, you know we are very focused on maintaining a healthy digestive system. Optimal digestion is the key to a healthy immune system response.

We have focused quite a bit on replenishing the good bacteria in your gut with probiotic supplements and fermented foods and drinks (like sauerkraut, dilly carrots and fermented orange juice).

We also promote using bone broth and using quality gelatin powder to help promote healthy digestion and a healthy gut, among other myriad benefits of broth. I love using bone broth as a tea, in soups and stews and using it to braise meats, vegetables and to cook rice and beans.

Many of our readers are also avid users of these wonderfully healing traditional foods!

Recently I was introduced to another product to add to our diet and I am amazed at what a great addition this is to keeping our digestive and immune systems functioning optimally!

Colostrum. Ever heard of it? It is really nature's first food…provided by all female mammals during the first few days after birth. It is very important promoting the healthy development and function of the immune system at birth.

You can sometimes find colostrum via a raw dairy if you have access, but most of us do not have such access. When my husband was still playing professional football, he would pour raw colostrum from a local dairy into his smoothies when it was available (which wasn't very often) as there are possible benefits for using colostrum for athletic recovery.

Colostrum has many possible benefits. Here are 4 that will really resonate with Oh Lardy readers:

1. Colostrum Plus can support a healthy immune response.*
2. Colostrum may enhance stamina and normal lean muscle re-growth after strenuous physical exercise, when consumed at about 20 grams per day.*
3. Colostrum promotes healthy intestinal flora and the normal functioning of the entire GI tract.* (hello! This is what Oh Lardy loves!!!)
4. Colostrum contains naturally occurring growth factors in colostrum may encourage cellular re-growth for healthy skin, bones, muscles, nerves and cartilage.*

The reason colostrum is so beneficial is because it contains the following components which have been studied extensively:

1. Proline-Rich Polypeptides (PRPs), which act systemically, modulating the complex immune system so that it can better respond as needed.*
2. Naturally Occuring Growth Factors, which are peptides that function as inter-cellular signaling molecules to turn on or turn off production of specific proteins in the target cells. They assist in completing the growth, development and maintenance of a healthy gut wall.* (If we are adding all those probiotics into our gut, we need to make sure our gut wall is healthy to keep them inside the digestive tract!!)
3. Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgE, IgM, IgD), which are antibodies. They play a key role in maintaining a healthy immune system and GI tract.*
4. Lactoferrin, which is an iron-binding protein found in most immune cells and its receptors have been found on most immune function cells including lymphocytes, monocytes, macrophages and platelets.*

One of the most accessible ways of adding colostrum to your diet is via a supplemental capsule or powder. This is where Symbiotics Colostrum Plus® comes in to play!

I have been using Symbiotics Colostrum Plus® since being introduced to it in September, 2014 at a conference. I love how I feel when I take it. My husband uses the powder in his smoothies. I take a capsule and my daughter loves the fruit flavored chewable tablets (particularly the pineapple flavor!).

Symbiotics® is a brand that makes it easy to get colostrum into your diet. Colostrum Plus® can promote everyday good health for normal, healthy digestive and immune system function. My friend (and fellow digestive health advocate!), Registered Dietician Ashley Koff, talks more about the product in the video below. She may answer your question of ‘why use colostrum?':

Now are you convinced as to why using colostrum is a great addition to the arsenal of maintaining optimal digestion?

Symbiotics® has quite a few types of Colostrum Plus® products. You can check them out over at their website.

And guess what? Symbiotics® has been kind enough to offer a 10% discount off of their products for our lucky readers!! Use the coupon code OHL10 upon checkout at Symbiotics® Shop! (This coupon expires October 1, 2015 so don't delay!!)

If you want to learn more, be sure to follow Symbiotics® on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram!

Looking for a good recipe to use with Colostrum Plus? Check out these Chocolate Hazelnut Bites!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Oh Lardy! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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Original article and pictures take ohlardy.com site