Common Sense about Raw Milk
A recent article published in one of my favorite magazines “Pathways to Family Wellness,” laid out the truth about raw milk! It was a very interesting article and one that I think many should read regarding bacteria in our food. The article is written by Edwin Shank, a grass-based, organic, dairy and chicken farmer. He and his family go beyond simply organic to farm with a deliberate attempt to recreate and imitate the ecosystem as God designed it! See below for main points of article:
- Of the 40 years Edwin Shank (a dairy farmer) has been farming, he has never heard of even one problem with a pregnancy, or any other illness or death among those drinking raw milk.
- The benefits of increased immunity and vibrancy of health from drinking raw milk are so profound, he believes drinking raw milk is a no-brainer.
- Edwin believes a bulletproof immunity is the only answer to optimal health. He states that a bulletproof immunity is our only protection against pathogens in our environment. He also states that it is impossible to build a bulletproof immunity through sterile foods. We need prebiotics and probiotics of raw milk and kefir (a fermented milk drink) to protect us!
- The more sterile we live the weaker our immune systems become!
- Edwin believes that we as individuals should have a “build our immunity” approach rather than a “kill all bacteria” approach.
- Edwin states that if we continue on the “kill all bacteria” approach, in spite of our best attempts, in spite of living in constant fear of the microbe, and in spite of government efforts to pass food safety regulation, something will get through. ”If we choose to live this way,” he states, “we and our children will someday find that a stray bacterium has penetrated our sterile bubble, and our artificially protected, flabby immune systems will have no defense against it!”
- Edwin believes the alternative defense against food-borne illness is to embrace bacteria as a part of a larger ecosystem. He states we should focus on life instead of killing. Pro-biotic instead of Anti-biotic! Edwin then goes on to state that is what drinking raw milk and eating raw cheese is all about… building immunity and health!
- Shank states, “Only living foods give life! Only living foods, full of a diversity of natural microflora from our local, natural environment, can provide the education and information that our immune systems desperately need to actually protect us as God designed it!”
Check out Edwin Shank’s website for more information at: www.yourfamilycow.com
Great Snacks and Lunch Ideas for Kids
A blog I subscribe to called “Fresh Baby” posted a list of great snacks and lunch ideas for kids! If your anything like me, I get tired of feeding my son the same thing everyday because I run out of fun, healthy ideas! Enjoy!
- A quarter or a half sandwich
- Dried fruit- apricots, raisins, dates, cranberries, blueberries,etc.
- Nuts- (unless there is an allergy!) peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, and walnuts
- Fresh fruit pieces or a piece of whole fruit- apples, pears, melon, mangoes, pineapple, and grapes are just a few!
- Applesauce (no sugar added)
- Celery sticks filled with cream cheese and raisins or white bean dip and pine nuts
- Sugar snap peas, baby carrots or green beans with Ranch dressing for dipping
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Yogurt or a smoothie
- Lunch meat roll-ups with cream cheese and a cooked asparagus or green bean in the middle
- Whole wheat or brown rice tortilla wrap with tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad
- Hard boiled egg
- Cheese cubes, slices or string cheese logs
- Peanut butter (or sunflower butter) with apple slices or crackers
- Hummus with carrots and mini pita breads
- Whole grain crackers or pretzels
- Trail mix made from cereal, nuts, and dried fruits
For more info from Fresh baby, check out their “Peas and Carrots Podcast” at http://freshbaby.typepad.com/peas_carrots/
“PPD” otherwise known as Post-Partum Depression
I wanted to take the time to stress the seriousness of PPD in mothers. I myself, like many of you I’m sure, suffered from severe PPD after the birth of my son. I had a very complicated delivery and the nurses at the hospital warned me numerous times that PPD would be a very likely side effect of my complicated delivery. “Why? I thought…” Here’s why…when you become pregnant, your body starts to produce a huge influx of hormones to support the pregnancy and “train” the body to “soften certain parts”, expand other parts, bend and move different, etc. These hormones are the “road map” for your pregnancy and guide your body through the various stages of your pregnancy and then the completion, the birth. When you give birth, your body is going through a huge hormonal transitioning period, and after the birth, the lack of hormones, or the sudden change in hormones, causes serious effects, including PPD. This is a very natural thing, but also a very serious and important issue to come to terms with.
Weeks after having my son, I couldn’t figure out why the world seemed to be falling onto my shoulders, when this was suppose to be the happiest moment of my life! I couldn’t keep my house clean, pay bills, make dinner, do laundry, spend time with my husband or my new baby. The perfectionist inside of me was SCREAMING… and I finally thought it was time to get help. When I went to the doctor, I told him I had no clue why I was there! I told him my symptoms, extreme fatigue, a feeling of helplessness, thoughts of driving my car into a tree, not interested in sexual activity, and the list goes on. I took a simple hand written test and scored off the charts! Although for the first time in my life a perfect score was not good news! I was put on medication and learned to cope and deal with my new life and circumstances. For me, a spiritual relationship with the Lord saved me, for others, it may be something else.
I came across an article that couldn’t have explained PPD better. I found it very helpful and hoped you would too. Unfortunatly, children do not come with an instruction manual. It’s one of those figure it out on your own deals! There is a lot of expectations we set for ourselves as mom’s and most of them are not realistic! You don’t have to be “supermom” and if you look around, most mom’s aren’t! If you have never experienced PPD, maybe someone you know has/is, and this is a great opportunity to soak up some knowledge and lend a hand. Know Mom’s that this is so common and that it is ok to admit to this! Humility is powerful and sometimes it is our only hope! If you have any feelings similar to what I have described, I would highly encourage you to seek out help! There is tons of information out there available to you. Use it!
The online magazine Parents.com recently published an article providing several activities to encourage social and emotional development for 12-18 month olds. The activities include:
1.) Snuggle with your child
- Touch your child. Give him kisses, hugs, and snuggles
2.) Make time for games
- Play games with your child such as rolling a ball back and forth. Games help your children learn to take turns
3.) Name your toddler’s emotions
-Help your child identify his emotions by naming them. He might be overwhelmed by anger, fear, or sadness. Giving him names for his feelings makes them less scary
4.) Take him out on the town
-Go out! Take your child to restaurants, museums, stores. Run errands. Do everyday life stuff that involves interacting with people to model how to do it, and give your child opportunities to practice himself if he wants to. He will start to interact with people of all ages when he’s ready.
5.) Give him positive reinforcement
-Celebrate your child for being good. If he wants attention and gets more of it when he is mischievous than when he is behaving well, he will tent toward being more mischievous in the future.
6.) Act silly
-Feel free to act silly with your child. Make funny faces, do a crazy dance, and wear pants on your head. Doing silly things is liberating and it makes your child laugh. It’s great for everyone!
Rotovirus Vaccine Contents Questionable
Dr. Mercola recently posted an article on his website regarding the contents of the Rotovirus vaccine. The Rototeq vaccine has been found to be contaminated with DNA from both PCV1 and PCV2. PCV2 is an aggressive virus that causes immune suppression, wasting disease and death in baby pigs. Check out this article for more information:
www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/May-2010/Vaccine-Safety-Critics-Call-For-RotaTeq-Vaccine-Re.aspx
New Probiotic pearls for kids ages 4-9
Integrative therapeutics has just come out with New probiotic pearls for children ages 4-9. These capsules are easy and safe to swallow and help to support adequate digestion and boost the immune system. Check out the link for more information!
Vaccine Telephone Conference Info!
For those of you who were unable to listen in on the telephone conference Sunday evening regarding vaccine safety, I have highlighted the most important facts and provided them for you below. It was both very educational and shocking at the information that was relayed. It is scary how there is so much information available out there regarding this issue, yet we trust our pediatricians in believing they are going to provide the best options for our children… yet they have no evidence or education to back up their views on these issues. Please email me if you have any questions/comments: nursemegs@gmail.com
* The diseases we continue to vaccinate for are no longer around
* Same doses of vaccines for all children, no matter age or weight (Scary for newborns considering we are giving them the same amount as we are a 2 year old)
*Typical Immune response:
1.) Immune System attacks disease/virus
2.) Body remembers (flags) disease/virus for later
- We are seeing an increase in diseases because vaccines cause the body to skip the first step in the immune response and go straight to the second step
-Increase in cancer recently because of this immune system disruption
* Children receive more antibodies from their mother in utero than from a vaccine
* Thymerisol (mercury) in vaccines thickens the brain and kills neurons
* Combination of testosterone and thymerisol is dangerous and is why boys are at increased risk for Autism when vaccinating
* Vaccines not only reason for Autism, there is a genetic component, but vaccines do have an effect
-20 Years ago: 1 in 10,000 kids with Autism
- Today: 1 in 90 kids with Autism (increased vaccine schedule)
*Antibiotics and aborted fetus in vaccines
*Vitamin K: not necessary for infants, (at 7-8 days their clotting factors peak on own)
-if having circumcision: give infant 1 mg Vitamin K drops orally every day and wait 7-8 days for clotting factors to peak, then get circumcision
*Hepatitis B: Only transmitted through mom; mom can only get Hepatitis B through multiple sex partners, IV drug use, blood transfusions
- Infant does not need Hep. B unless mother has Hep. B
-95% of people who contract Hep. B make complete recovery and have immunity for a lifetime
-Vaccinated Hep. B only provides coverage for 7 years and only provides 70% coverage
-Kids with Hep. B series are 3x more likely to develop Autism
-Infants don’t have strong immune system and we are giving them vaccines which weakens the immune system even more; infants don’t have enough time to build up immune system and defenses; if choosing to vaccinate, better to wait as long as you can to build up child’s immune system
Mumps: symptoms- swollen glands for a couple days
Rubella: only dangerous to pregnant woman in 1st trimester
Measles: no deaths from measles according to CDC website
DPT: no diptheria anymore
Tetanus: (old rusty nail)- nail just providing entry for rust into body
1.) Clean wound really well
2.) Can get tetanus titer’s to check if have tetanus, if so will measure level
-No vaccine necessary (lock jaw does not happen immediately)
Pertusis: 80% of kids getting virus have previously been vaccinated
Pneumococcal (Prevnar): Vaccine insert reads:
- only 7% fewer earaches with vaccine
- only 0.1% fewer cases of pneumococcal disease with vaccine
- if person injecting vaccine hits a blood vessel, can cause organ damage
Polio: since 1979 only cases seen were because of vaccine
Meningitis and Gardisil: both given to older children/teenagers; the combination of the two can be very deadly
- actual reported deaths from Gardisil vaccine
Chicken pox: NOT NECESSARY
-if you know of someone who has them, take your kids over there to get them immune!
-inconvenience for parents only
-work lost by parents
*102-103 degree fever NOT AN EMERGENCY; allow body to “cook” virus/pathogen
* Cancer is in all of our bodies; cancer is abnormality or imbalance of the immune system; can be triggered by vaccines and their contents
-MMR specifically found to be linked to cancer
* 5 consecutive seasonal flu virus vaccines- increases risk of Alzheimers dramatically!
* American Academy of Physicians and Surgeons: currently trying to ban mandatory vaccination because they are aware of the harmful effects
*SIDS- can be linked to vaccines
Learn how vaccines are causing harm!
What it is not: A debate. I have a limited amount of time, I want people who want to learn on the line. Questions and concerns are welcomed!
When: 8:30 EST Sunday May 23rd
How: 712-432-3900 Access code: 904503
Pesticides in kids linked to ADHD
Sorry for the long delay in my posts! Needless to say the last few months have been very busy and chaotic! But back to what I love… educating mothers! I promise to do a better job!
I recently ran across this article that was both interesting and SHOCKING all in the same! The Today Show recently reported on pesticides on our fruits and vegetables that is linked to ADHD in children. There are a few video blurbs on the link as well. I would highly recommend you check it out. This is just one more reason to change our eating habits to Organic. Whether it is buying organic eggs, cheese, meats, or veggies at your local farmers markets or fruits and veggies from a local co-op (such as B&B Organics- organic express@att.net). We are responsible for our children and what we eat and how we live our lives directly affects our children! Lets remember that! Enjoy!
Recall on Gyrus ACMI Micron Bobbin Vent Tube T
ATTENTION ALL MOMS… a recent recall by the FDA was posted on MedWatch stating the Gyrus ACMI Micron Bobbin Vent Tube T size 1.27 mm, which is implanted for ventilation or drainage of the middle ear (Lehmans terms: tubes for childrens ears has been recalled). This recall is due to the product being shipped out without being sterilized! Patients who have undergone surgery for tube placement in the ears should contact their physicians to discuss symptoms that may result from use of the affected products! And we trust our health care system to take care of us??? Scary!
