Relief for Infant Congestion and Croupy-sounding cough

When my baby was just a little over three months, all her sisters came down with the flu. It was rough. Thankfully, since she was nursing around the clock, the baby never developed a fever or any horrible symptoms like her big sisters. But she developed a bad sounding cough that sounded a good bit croupy. She didn't do it all the time, but when she did cough, it sounded rough and I was terrified that it would grow worse and become hard for her to breathe. I had never had a sick baby that young before and don't usually use any kind of medicine or even natural remedies on babies that little. So I decided to ask one of my friends who had studied herbal medicine what she would suggest.

She recommended lemon eucalyptus oil diluted in olive oil and rubbed on her chest and the bottoms of her feet. She said, "For the chest, I would rub from the center/ sternum to the outside of the chest on each side. Also, if the cough is croupy I would say that is ok- as long as she is breathing well and doesn't seem to choke on it. If I got desperate I would use colloidal silver as an antibiotic. But it is so hard knowing dosages, etc. with babies- I would probably reserve it for desperation. Also- I have used onion poultices with my kids when they were little with good results. Just stir fry an onion in tiny bit of oil until it is translucent, and then put the warm onion pieces on a cloth ( thin, like a cheesecloth) on the chest. As long as the onion isn't too hot, you can even wrap it on there and just leave it for a while. That works fairly well!"

I followed her advice and also took my baby for 2 adjustments from my favorite chiropractor and my sweet baby recovered quickly and easily without growing any worse!

Natural Relief from Shingles

I came down with shingles during my last pregnancy and it was utterly miserable.  It was well over a month before I was able to sleep through the night without the pain or itching waking me up.  Throughout that month, I stumbled across different things that helped to relieve the pain and I wanted to write them down before I forgot them.  I put something on my sores every couple hours and just alternated between each of these throughout the day.  Although I was in intense pain and couldn't imagine it being any worse, my spots did not get as bad as the pictures on the internet so I do believe these natural remedies helped a lot!

1.  Acupuncture -- The only nights that I managed a decent sleep during that month were the 3 times I did Acupuncture.  It is the only time I have ever done it and I don't love the process (those little needles can hurt!) but for some reason it really works!  If my shingles were to ever return, I would immediately head to the Acupuncture office to see if I could avoid such a bad case of it.

2. Chiropractic care -- by the time I realized that my malady was shingles, I was in  too much pain to be adjusted.  If I contracted it again, however, I would immediately get adjusted because my research showed chiropractic care to be very effective.

3.  Essential oils -- I alternated using tea tree oil (melaleuca) and ravintsara diluted with a tiny bit of coconut oil.  Lemon, Lavendar, Geranium, and Roman Chamomile  are supposed to help as well.

4.  Collodial Silver gel -- this is antiviral and really helps!  I alternated it with the essential oils several times a day.

5. Peaceful Mountain Shingles Rescue Homeopathic Gel -- this was very soothing!

6.  Derma Change Shingles Relief Cream -- the Maneuka honey in this was soothing to my sores  as well.  I alternated this with the Homeopathic Gel above every night before bed.

7. T-Relief tablets -- these have arnica as well as several other homeopathic remedies.  I took one every time I woke up in pain and I do believe they helped dull the pain so I could go back to sleep.  I took this instead of Tylenol because I was pregnant and didn't want to take Tylenol PM every night.

8.  Arnica gel -- I alternated this with the silver gel several times a day and I do think it helped.

9.  Collodial Silver -- I drank this about 3 times a day in an effort to kill the virus more quickly.

10.  Dr. Christopher's Formula Cayenne Heat Ointment -- I was afraid to use this when my sores were raw and angry because it is so potent, but once they transitioned to more of an intense nerve pain rather than a topical pain, this was very effective.

Lice and Tick Prevention Detangling Spray

Lice seem to be a major problem in the schools this year.  Not only are they everywhere, but they seem to be harder to get rid of than they used to be.  In one of my daughter's classes, there was a major lice problem before Christmas.  I thought for sure the 2-week break would clear things up, but after a week back at school we got another letter saying they were still finding kids with lice!  We happen to have 6 girls in our family with lots of hair so the thought of lice is absolutely horrendous to me!  Thankfully we have avoided it so far and I truly think the detangling spray I make them use a couple times a week has kept the lice at bay.  I actually started using it two summers ago as a tick deterrent and then added the essential oils that deter lice when the girls started school. I didn't really find this recipe anywhere; I just started mixing things that made sense to me together to make it.  I don't ever measure so I will try to guestimate what I do for readers but feel free to tweak it to please your own kids.  My girls do not really like the apple cider vinegar smell but neither do ticks and lice.  The smell vanishes quickly enough and it is great for hair so they have gotten used to it. The rose geranium oil is expensive but we haven't gotten a single tick in our hair the 2 summers we have used it and the summer before that we got them every single time we visited the grandparents or went to the lake.  It lasts a long time and is totally worth the price!

(*Note: I don't want to get into any debates about essential oil brands.  I have used Young Living, Do Terra, Edens Garden, and Plant Therapy all with great success.  I currently primarily buy Plant Therapy mainly because of the affordable price, great extensive Kidsafe line, and because of two day shipping on Amazon, but I love the others as well.)

Ingredients:
small water spray bottle
1/2 tsp moisturizing oil (I usually just use olive oil because it is what I have on hand but almond, jojoba, or any other liquid oil will do)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 drops Rose Geranium oil (for tick prevention)
5 drops tea tree oil
10 drops Plant Therapy "Get 'Em Gone" blend
water filled the rest of the way to the brim of spray bottle

Directions:  Shake well and spray on hair.  I use it on my girls' hair every time they wash it and any other time there are tangles.

Honey-Ginger-Lemon-ACV-Elderberry tea for Great Health!

Several days a week I make this tea and I really enjoy it!  I started with just lemon and ginger and raw honey because I read how it could help a sore throat.  Then I realized that it made my raw apple cider vinegar much more tolerable and I began adding that (because ACV is truly one of the the most beneficial things you can drink but boy, does it have a strong taste!)  Then my Mom gave me an awesome berry tea for Christmas that contained elderberries and I thought to add those to the mix.  And now I have a super healthy drink that I love! It is so simple to make also!

1.  Set water in teapot to boil
2.  Cut a slice of lemon and place in mug
3.  Cut a slice of fresh ginger and add to mug
4. Place some dried elderberries in a re-usable muslin tea-bag and add to mug
5.  Pour boiling water over lemon, ginger, and elderberries
6.  After cooling a bit, add raw honey and as much apple cider vinegar as you can handle.

Beating the stomach bug quickly (and other natural remedies for an upset stomach)

There are very few things as miserable as the stomach bug.  However, there is a solution for beating it quickly.  Activated charcoal works wonders!  And it is inexpensive!  It is great for both food poisoning and for the dreaded stomach virus.  The last few times my family has gotten a stomach bug, the members of my family willing to take activated charcoal only threw up once, while the rest were sick many times over and over.  It is tasteless and can easily be added to a drink or applesauce.  It turns the beverage or food black, however, so two of my children refuse to take it and then are sick much longer than the rest of us.  The last two times, I have used it as soon as the threat was obvious and I had nothing more than stomach cramps for a bit.  It works!

Activated charcoal is hands-down the best remedy for a stomach bug or food poisoning, but there are other things that can help with tummy trouble as well:

Redmond clay: This works in a similar manner as charcoal, but doesn't look as dreadful when mixed in with applesauce :)  We use it for a simple upset stomach as well.

Papaya Enzymes -- These were my best friend when I was pregnant as it helped tremendously with heartburn and acid reflux!  It aids in digestion and always works to help settle a stomach that might be queasy from eating too much or something too spicy or too fatty.  My husband and children all ask for them if they have an unsettled stomach.

Nux Vomica -- I'm still learning about homeopathy, but this has been quite helpful as well.

Tummy Aid Essentail Oil roll on -- I love Plant Therapy's kidsafe line!  I'm still learning about essential oils so I appreciate thse ready-made roll-ons that I can put on my children's feet and bellies.  They carry the regular oil you can diffuse as well, but I love the roll-ons to put in my purse to whip out as the first whimper of tummy pain.

Tummy Plus Tincture from Trilight Health --- I love all the tinctures from Trilight Health!  They don't taste badly so my kids will take them and they really work.

Treating ear aches/ infections differently for different children

My girls recently endured a bad virus.  It started with a high fever for less than 24 hours and then had major congestion and a lingering cough and drainage.  About a week later, they all got an ear ache.  At first, I didn't realize it was related, but after they all got it, I realized it must have been from all that drainage.  I am writing this post because I found it very interesting that each child required a different treatment.

When my 5 year old calmly began complaining that her ear hurt, I looked up my homeopathic information and gave her Chamomilla.  She didn't complain again until the next day and I gave her some more and it seemed to help again.  I gave it to her about 3 times a day, only when she mentioned it bothering her again for about 2 days and that was it.  The remedy seemed to stop the pain quickly every time and eventually took care of it completely.

The next day, my 6 year old started fussing about her ear.  But it was totally different.  Instead of calmly mentioning that her ear hurt, she was moaning in pain.  I quickly gave her what had worked for her sister, but it didn't work for her.  Within 15 minutes she was crying and sometimes screaming.  I waited a bit to see if the remedy would work, but then remembered that there are several remedies for each ailment and it varies for each person.  So I looked at my homeopathic workbook again and saw that for such a fierce onslaught, Belladonna looked like the correct remedy.  It took a good 20 minutes, but all of a sudden, she was fine.  Completely happy, as if nothing had happened.  I was amazed!  I am totally a believer in homeopathy!

My 9 month old decided to cut her top two teeth shortly after recovering from her virus.  She was really fussy, but I just attributed it to those teeth.  But then she suddenly had a high fever at night.  She could not lay down to sleep and was only happy when I was holding her.   After sitting up all night with her with a super high fever, I immediately took her to the chiropractor the next day.  Her fever broke, she seemed much happier, and she slept soundly that night!  But the next day her fever returned and she was up the entire night again.  I finally took her to the doctor because she was so congested I was worried about bronchitis.  But he said she had a bad ear infection and it all made sense.   (I felt so badly that perhaps I could have prevented it like I did with the big girls if only I had realized it.  But I had just thought she was fussy because of her teeth!) So I took her back to the chiropractor.  I also started putting crushed garlic on her feet, collodial silver in her mouth, and garlic-infused coconut and olive oil warmed in her ear.  I also rubbed tea tree oil around her ear.  That night her fever broke and she slept soundly again.  She seemed better the next day, but that night, her fever skyrocketed again and I knew she needed one more adjustment.  That was all it took.  I finally had my happy baby back again and never needed that antibiotic prescribed by the doctor!

So to sum it all up, here are the different treatments needed for each child:
1.  Calm 5 year old with minor ear pain: Chamomilla
2.  Distraught 6 year old with sudden, sharp ear pain:  Belladonna
3.  Miserable 9 month old with high fever and major ear infection: 3 chiropractic adjustments on alternating days, crushed garlic on her feet, collodial silver in her mouth, and garlic-infused coconut and olive oil warmed in her ear and tea tree oil rubbed around her ear.  I also gave her THIS mustard plaster twice. (Note:  I have no idea why I did not use homeopathy on the baby... I guess sleep deprivation just made me revert back to what I always do for illnesses and I forgot to look up a homeopathic remedy for her.)

Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster for helping drain congestion

My 9 month old got a nasty virus that filled her head with much drainage and resulted in a horrible ear infection.  She has trouble sleeping, not only from the ear pain, but also because when she lays down she begins to cough and choke horribly on the drainage.  I took her to the chiropractor today and he said he could feel a lot of drainage in her head and ears and gave me this recipe to put on her upper chest to help drain it down:

1 part Mustard powder
1 part Baking soda
3 parts flour
enough water to make a paste

I love recipes that are so simple!  He said that for the baby, I should wrap it up in a hankie, with just one layer between her and the plaster, and zip her up in a sleep-in-play so that she can't reach it and get it everywhere.  For older children and adults, however, I could just apply it directly to the skin.  A person should try it on a small part of the skin first, though, to make sure it doesn't irritate it as it is a "hot" compress and could bother sensitive skin.  Leave it on for about 10 minutes and it can really make a difference.

I was amazed that I could "feel" the heat coming off it when I mixed it up for my baby.  A little bit leaked out of the hankie and got on her skin and it was red and seemed to annoy her, so I would personally recommend not putting it directly on the skin.  A hankie works well if you can get it to stay put.  She also seemed really bothered by it after only about 7 minutes so I took it off early.  But the plaster definitely seems to do its job!

My New Year's "Natural Learning" Goals:

As I learn about natural ways to help my family stay healthy and recover well from illnesses, I keep hearing more about homeopathy and essential oils.  I've used them a bit over the years, particularly oregano oil as a natural antibiotic, tea tree oil for cleaning and ringworm,  Nux Vomica for tummy trouble, and Arnica Montana for bumps and bruises.  I've really been wanting to learn more, however, so this year, I used all the money I received for Christmas to purchase a thorough homeopathic kit and a nice diffuser to use with the essential oils I already own.  I also purchased a blend of essential oils for respiratory problems because I think my 2 year old has a bit of fungal pneumonia because we didn't realize the room she was sleeping in had a mold problem (we currently rent a house).  We moved her out a month ago, but her cough has remained.  I am also treating her with collodial silver, a special blend of herbs and oils to rub on her chest, and oregano oil on her feet.  I've been doing the natural remedies for about 5 days and the diffuser for 2 days and I already notice a tremendous difference in her cough!  I am definitely inspired to learn more.  I will write more on the topics of homeopathy and essential oils as I learn more.  I have downloaded a great homeopathic workbook to study now and hope to take an actual class on essential oils in the spring or summer.  Essential oils can be dangerous if not used properly so I don't want to do too much without proper education.

2 recipes for laboring and post-partum moms:

1.  Laborade -- This is a great drink not only for moms in labor, but for anyone who does sports activities or works out.  I drank this after each contraction and also the first week of nursing when I am ever so thirsty.  I got the idea from THIS original recipe, but added it to coconut water instead of plain water for extra electrolytes and potassium.  It was very easy to throw together... Mark made it for me in just minutes at 3am while we were waiting for his parents to get to our house to stay with the girls so we could go on to the birth center!  I don't love coconut water by itself because it is a little too sweet for me, but the lemons added a nice sour flavor that made this drink the perfect "labor-ade" for me.


Ingredients:
3-4 lemons
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp real sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Coconut water or just filtered water 

Directions:  Mix well; can keep in fridge and add to 1/2 gallon of coconut water when needed.  Or just add a couple of Tbs to a cup of coconut water.  I'll be honest, we didn't really measure and I think we added more than that.  But it was good and really worked!


2.  Home-made Frozen Witch-Hazel Pads for Postpartum Healing -- My friend gave me this recipe and these are awesome and really help promote healing.


For 4 Pads:4 Tablespoons of witch hazel1 tsp. teaspoon of aloe vera liquid12 drops of lavender oil. 

Directions: open the pad up and then pour the mixture on along pretty much the whole length of the pad. Fold, wrap individually in aluminum foil, put in a ziploc bag, and stick in the freezer.  Use one every couple of hours. The comforting sensation/healing lasts for a good half hour or more with each one

Popping an elbow back in place (yes, you can do it yourself!)

We just had a short-lived trauma tonight when Karlie's elbow popped out of joint.  She was in excruciating pain.  We tried distracting her with Backyardigans (which we reserve for such special occasions), but it was obvious the pain was not going away.  I had learned the technique for popping a shoulder back in joint, but it didn't work for the elbow.  I finally searched youtube and found a video to show me how to do it.  Within seconds, my happy girl was back. 

So this is my golden tip for the night:  If you have little kids, learn both techniques ASAP.  They are super easy, only take 2 seconds to perform, and will save you hours of pain and time at the ER.  And it is easier than having to search Youtube when your three year old is screaming in pain!

A natural approach to lice removal

This was the post I hoped to never have to write.  I've had super thick and long hair almost my entire life, and lice has been at the top of my list as one of my worst fears ever since I was old enough to hear about it. I thankfully managed to go 31 years without any more than the sympathy itching I always get when I hear of someone else with lice.  But you can imagine my utter horror to find it on one of my girls now that I live in a house with 4 girls!  Add to that the fact that we have a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals and baby dolls and I won't even mention the state my house was in the day I found it.  And company was coming to stay with us in two days.  And the thought of putting chemicals on my sweet girls' heads just made me sick to my stomach.  To say that I felt incredibly overwhelmed was a huge understatement!

As soon as I found a patch of nits in my daughter's hair, I immediately reached for the coconut oil.  My husband teases that I use coconut oil for everything, but in this case I was super glad I used it!  I had remembered reading somewhere that coconut oil smothers lice and I immediately covered each of my girls' hair and myself as well.  I called Mark to go buy us a special comb and then we set to work throwing things in plastic trash bags and in the washer and dryer.  After leaving the coconut oil in our hair for several hours, I combed everyone's hair.  Thankfully, I never saw lice in anyone else's hair so I think we got to it fast enough so that it did not spread.  I did find 2 actual bugs in my one daughter's hair, and I cannot tell you how glad I was that I had used the coconut oil so that they were dead rather than running away from me!!!!  A month and a half later with no signs of a re-infestation, I finally feel safe and confident enough to say the natural approach worked.

I did a bit of research that first night to see what I needed to do to keep them away.  THIS article helped me the most.
Here is what I learned:

1.  Coconut oil really does work!  But you still have to comb out the nits.
2.  Rinsing hair with apple cider vinegar before shampoo helps remove the glue holding the nits so they come out easily.
3.  High heat kills both lice and nits.  Just about everything in my house went through our dryer.  And we dried all my girls' hair with the hair dryer for the first three weeks just to be on the safe side. 
4.  Neem oil and tea tree oil also kill lice.  So the 2nd day I was paranoid enough to do another coconut oil treatment and I added both essential oils to the coconut oil. 
5.  Here are two natural products that are good for killing lice.  I didn't have time to get them and managed fine without them, but I thought they sounded good enough to mention, especially if you have a worse infestation than we suffered: Theraneem Organix Shampoo an Quit Nits Complete Head Lice Kit (a homeopathic and essential oil nit removal kit)
6.  I washed and dried all the sheets and blankets 3 days in a row, then did it every other day for a week just to be on the safe side.
7.  We bagged up each and every stuffed animal and baby doll with hair for 4 weeks.  (My house stayed a lot neater during that time!)
8.  We did the oil treatment and washed their hair and combed it 3 days in a row and then every other day for a week. (Did I mention that I was really stressed and paranoid?)  Thankfully, we never saw anything after the first day, but all the extra work might be the reason it didn't come back. 

Fighting a virus naturally

After 5 days of a super high fever,  I decided to take Abbi to see my holistic doctor just to make sure an infection had not snuck in while her body was fighting the virus.  I absolutely love my pediatrician and she is open to my natural tendencies, but after last summer's ordeal I knew exactly the protocol she would have to recommend: a trip to the ER to take blood, x-ray, and spinal tap to rule out the worst case scenarios.  I didn't want to do that when my holistic doctor could use less invasive techniques to tell me what was going on.  She found that Abbi had a nasty virus centered in her spinal cord and intestines.  That made total sense to me because she had been extremely uncomfortable through the sickness, squirming all over the place and unable to get comfortable enough to sleep more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time.    Here were her tips for getting over any kind of virus:

1. Therapy bath to help hydrate (because dehydration is the most dangerous effect of high fever):

1 3/4 cups epsom salts

3/4 cup baking soda

3/4 cup borax

1/4 tsp. lavender oil (if desired to help relax)

2.  L-lysine -- 250 mg 3x a day (mixed into food)

3.  Zinc -- 15 mg (mixed into food)

4.  Garlic cut open and rubbed on feet

5.  Elderberry syrup every hour for 2 days

6.  Collodial silver --  every hour for 2 days

7.  Probiotics -- 4 times a day

8.  Lugol's iodine and magnesium oil patted on spine every 2 hours -- this sounds absolutely ridiculously crazy but supposedly the virus does not like this mixture and will "move" away from it.  You "chase" the pain with the mixture until it is gone and the virus has left.  It will often go to your weakest parts.  (For instance, with my holistic doctor's daughter, the pain moved to a part of her leg that was very sore from dance practice the day before.)  With older patients, it is easier to "chase" it and put the mixture wherever  the patient says that it hurts next, but with Abbi it was a little more difficult.  The first time she grabbed her eye and started screaming, which made sense because it was hurt but was very frustrating because I could not help her there.  However, the next time after placing it on her spine, she started acting quite agitated and grabbing at the top of her neck.  I placed the mixture there and she calmed down immediately.  Weird, but it seemed to be similar to what my holistic doctor had described so I am thinking that it worked.  If nothing else, iodine and magnesium are things most people are deficient in and desperately need, so I thought it was definitely a worthwhile solution to try.

9.  Hydrating tonic (very similar to one I already posted) to battle dehydration from the fever:

1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar

1 pinch baking soda

1 serving aloe vera juice

1 cup of unfiltered apple juice

2 cups water

5 drops sole*

*sole -- dissolve as much Redmond's Real Salt as possible in 1/2 cup boiling water.  Put in dropper bottle

High Mineral Sports Drink and Coconut Milk Tonic

I promised that I would post the recipes that my holistic doctor gave me for Karlie. I am still collecting the ingredients for them, so I don't know yet if she likes them but I will update eventually. Also, she was just spouting off ingredients from memory and I was frantically writing them down as I tried to keep the pen away from Abbi, who was bored and strapped to my chest in the Beco. So I am hoping that she didn't forget anything and that I wrote down everything correctly and I will update as I refine the recipes :)

High Mineral Sports Drink: My doctor told me that as long as you get the best quality mineral salt (she actually recommends Redmond Real Salt over sea salt ), this drink is more effective than most mineral supplements that are super expensive. Thankfully, this drink does not cost much to make. She said that it would be good for all of us and Mark would especially like it after playing sports. It is also very healing to the gut because it contains aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of baking soda.

The first thing you have to do is make a "sole" (a super-saturated saline solution). She said that you boil water, pour it in a pint jar, and then add heaping spoonfuls of high-mineral salt, stirring and adding more and more until the water is so saturated that the salt will no longer dissolve and it starts sinking to the bottom of the jar. Even if you don't make the "high mineral sports drink," it would still be very good for anyone to make the sole and put 5 to 8 drops in a water bottle each day.

Ingredients for the HMSD:

Fill a 16 ounce jar with:

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

a pinch of baking soda

a serving of Aloe Vera Juice

a capful of Sole (super saturated saline solution)

3 oz. strong Concord grape juice (not plain, not from concentrate, not Juicy Juicy! This is the real deal and will be considerably more expensive than regular grape juice but you only need a tiny bit so it will last a while)

fill the rest of the jar with good quality filtered water (no fluoride or other chemicals!)

Coconut milk Tonic -- Here is the basic recipe for the coconut milk tonic. My doctor recommended making a simple chocolate syrup (from cacao powder, a natural sweetener, salt, and vanilla) to get Karlie to like it more. She also wants me to add in an egg yolk from a farmer I trust to increase the protein count. I would also like to add in probiotics to help heal her gut and eventually cut down on the water to give her more fat.

Ingredients:

1 can whole coconut milk

2 1/4 cups water or coconut water

2 Tbs maple syrup, a pinch of stevia, or other natural sweetener

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. dolomite powder (for calcium)

Directions: Heat on stovetop on warm and powder is dissolved. Cool before serving

An ode to natural remedies...

You all know by now that I try to avoid the doctor's office at all costs and especially try to avoid any kind of medicine. Sometimes that is really hard and it takes longer to get over an illness because an antibiotic might bring relief in just 24 hours but it might take a week for the body to fight off an infection naturally. A lot of times, especially with a baby, I question myself and wonder whether I should just let a doctor look at her to be on the safe side. So far, however, I've never regretted keeping her home but I have indeed regretted a trip to the doctor that resulted in trauma and medicine when she could have probably gotten over it naturally. So I think I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing :)

Anyways, because I sometimes need reminding that natural remedies really do work, I thought I'd post about a recent fast success. Tuesday, I woke up with a sore throat and lots of pressure in my head. I had a busy day planned (Valentine's Day) and was just hoping it would go away. By the time I got the girls to bed that night, I knew I was coming down with the crud that Abbi had so I started to treat myself. I made myself a "lovely" concoction of super strong kombucha, elderberry syrup, apple cider vinegar, grapefruit seed extract, and astragalus tincture. I drank it before bed and woke up the next morning feeling about the same, but not at all worse. The next day I drank the same concoction and took ginger, cayenne pepper, boswellia, tumeric, and garlic after each meal. I took collodial silver in between meals. I also stayed away from sugar, white flour, and dairy for the day. All symptoms had disappeared by the following morning. I am certain that all my natural remedies halted the impending illness that had started to get me down

Some natural relief for reflux and GERD

I met my cousin's sis-in-law at her wedding over a year ago and we quickly became fast friends because of our common interests in children and natural tendencies. Around six months ago, she had a beautiful baby girl. Unfortunately, the baby had horrible reflux and was diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). The baby would be up all night with screaming, throwing up, etc., and it was truly miserable for them. My sweet friend did much research and found some natural ways to help her baby and I thought I would share them on the blog because GERD is becoming more and more common and I thought these tips might help someone else. My friend said that it did not completely "cure" GERD and they still struggle with it, but these techniques have given them about 60% improvement and have been enough to keep the baby off medication. Here is her advice; I hope it will be helpful to others:

1. I stopped feeding on demand. I had done this with my twins for 22 months. But with this baby, at least a night, I changed it to every three hours. This allowed her ample time to digest better.

2. We stopped rocking her to sleep in cradle position. We only do it with her upright.

3. I increased the amount of time I massage her. I have always massaged my babies after bath. With her, I am focusing on her stomach and lower back as well as accupoints (I have a this book that has accupoint information for babies).

4. I began to take her to the chiropractor twice a week, once a week, and now every other week.

5. I try to have chamomile and licorice root (very small amount) tea available (homebrewed) to give her a small amount when she is throwing up or crying a lot. This helps calm her and also pushes her to swallow which helps with the reflux. Sugar water is supposed to have the same effect but I really hate to use sugar on my baby!

6. She sleeps with the mattress tilted and she is sideways, not on her back. Also, she takes naps on her stomach (when I am awake and able to watch her.) I only do this when I am readily available to her since it is risky.

Holistic tips for fighting an ear infection and constipation

While Abbi was fighting off her random virus, it appears that an infection snuck in her weary body. Her temp sky-rocketed and she started screaming all the time and it was obviously something new. So I took her to my favorite holistic doctor on yesterday and she confirmed what I suspected -- she had a virus that was pretty much gone, but now had a really bad infection in her ear. You might think an ear infection is no big deal since kids get them all the time, but let me tell you -- it must straight out hurt because it makes for a completely miserable baby! I honestly have not been able to set Abbi down (other than a quick trip to the bathroom) since Saturday afternoon. This afternoon is the first time she has slept on her own (much thanks to my holistic dr. and chiropractor!) since the infection hit. She still screams when anyone even so much as touches the right side of her head (and you really don't want to be in the same house when I give her drops in her ear!) but her fever went down and she actually allowed me to lay her in the crib this afternoon so I do believe that she is improving. I'm desperately hoping to sleep in my own bed tonight!

I thought I'd write out the recommendations from my holistic dr. so that I would remember them next time and in case they might be helpful to you. We are also having trouble with Karlie getting constipated (she got dehydrated when she had the fever and it hurt to have a BM and now my stubborn 2-year old is refusing to go! So my holistic dr. gave me some tips for that as well.

For ear infection:

1. Drop hydrogen peroxide in her ear canal 4-6 times/day. (She recommended doing it while nursing because Abbi would be opening and closing her mouth and it would help, but after I saw how much she hated the drops, I decided I didn't want nursing associated with pain.)

2. Hydrogen Peroxide in vaporizer at night and during naps

3. Ear oil 2 times/day made of olive oil, mullein, garlic, St. John's, and MSM

4. Immune Support:

Probiotics

no sugars/ friuts

Collodial Silver 3 times a day

elderberry syrup

zinc 15 mg

Garlic on feet

oregano oil on feet and rubbed on skin behind infected ear

For Constipation: Magnesium Citrate with potassium -- helps relaxes muscles and go more easily

...it also helps with sleep, restless leg, focus, emotions, muscle cramps, etc

Our natural medicine cabinet

It is that time of year... when my facebook is filled with moms complaining about sick children. Last year, I shared my top 25 favorite natural remedies for fighting off sickness. I still use them regularly and prefer them over anything store-bought. But I thought I would give a little update and share some of the more natural "medicines" I have chosen to buy to keep on hand. A lot of them are homeopathic remedies that are completely safe and effective. If you don't know much about homeopathic remedies, this post is a great one to start with and then read this this article. My girls take them as well and like them. If you are interested in starting to use some, then this kit by Hylands contains most of the basics. I also greatly recommend Naturo Kits. We have the mini first aid kit and it has really been helpful! (And once again, I am not a doctor so do your own research before buying any of this :)

Sabadil -- by Boiron for allergies

Chestal -- a homeopathic cough syrup by Boiron

Arnica Montana - any time someone falls or goes through something traumatic

Arnica gel -- for bumps and bruises

Oscillococcinum -- for flu-like symptoms

Belladonna for fevers and inflammations

Nux Vomica for nausea and upset stomach

Chamomilla for teething and irritability

Calms Forte by Hylands -- to calm down kiddos when they are up past their bedtime and to sometimes help my husband sleep when he is stressed about work

Elderberry syrup -- easy to make by just boiling elderberries in water, simmering for 30 minutes, then smashing through a strainer and adding honey. It will store in the fridge for up to 3 months. Or you can buy something like Sambucus elderberry syrup on Amazon or vitacost.

Papaya Enzymes -- these are amazing for heartburn, nausea, and acid reflux -- I used them when I was pregnant instead of Tums and use them now if I eat a lot of processed foods or just too much for dinner (HA!)

Activated Charcoal -- for food poisoning or other poisoning, stomach bug, bad bites, or stings

Netti Pot with salt water -- to relieve sinus symptoms

Be Kool soft cool gel sheets to place on forehead to help cool down a fever (Thanks, Hollie, for the great idea!) My kids have never been that cooperative with a cold washcloth, but they were excited to see these "cold bandaids" to put on their foreheads.

Little Noses Saline drops -- for stopped up nose

Wild Weed Salve (from the mini first aid naturokit) -- for bug bites, itchy, dry skin, etc -- it works really well and is the only thing to keep my girls from complaining about a bad bug bite

Natural Cures for PMS and other hormonal issues

Many women take hormonal birth control to help regulate their cycles and many other women say that hormonal birth control gives them mood swings, headaches, hot flashes, etc. It is a quandary to me and (as I explained in my post last week), I've just decided to forgo hormonal birth control altogether. So I thought I'd offer up some natural ideas to help with all of those problems. Keep in mind that I am not a doctor and you should do your own research to determine what will help your particular issues. These are simply things that have helped me. Before making these changes, my time of the month was quite miserable, with extremely painful cramps, headaches, mood swings, etc. I am quite happy to report that I now hardly experience any symptoms at all. I'm not kidding! (I must admit, however, that due to pregnancy and nursing, I have only experienced a few cycles in the past 5 years. But I've done enough research to believe that those months were not flukes and to expect my good fortune to continue.)

Here are the changes I made:

1. Read this post on punctuation! You really should. It is funny and informative. I didn't really believe the author at first, but once I read all the comments in agreement, I decided to ditch my normal feminine care products and give it a try. And I was glad that I did. There is no doubt that it made a difference for me and shortened my cycle. And the cloth ones are so much softer! I'll never go back if for no other reason than that! I have to wash cloth diapers anyways, so it really didn't add any trouble for me. And if that sounds completely gross to you, there are organic disposables that will still make a difference in your cycle. That is what I plan to use if my cycle ever interferes with a beach trip. And if you still think I am crazy, then you haven't read the article... so go back and read it :)

2. Maca powder -- Maca is a root that can really help to balance hormones naturally. It has been shown to help with PMS, menopause, hot flashes, unending periods, male and female infertility, low libido, etc. For me, it made a big difference in eliminating menstrual cramps and raising my BBT to a normal level. I started out by putting it in my milk each morning, but didn't like it so much and ended up just putting it in an empty pill capsule to swallow.

Here are some articles to use for research:

The Power of Maca

Maca for Hypothyroidism, Adrenal Fatigue, PMS, Fibroids, and Menopause

3. Avoid soy-- Soy contains phyto-estrogens that disrupt your hormones and endocrine system. Unfortunately, it is in almost every processed food. Here are some links to consider:

The Dark Side of Soy

Problems with soy

Soy Alert

Between those 3 changes, my PMS symptoms were practically eliminated. Do you have any other suggestions for balancing hormones naturally? I'd love to hear them!

I'll leave you with 3 other articles that I found helpful on this topic:

Help for difficult menstruation

How to balance hormones naturally

Natural PMS relief

Easy relief from heavy periods

More natural remedies!

I recently stumbled upon THIS GREAT ARTICLE while researching something else and was excited to find some other great traditional remedies for childhood illnesses to add to my list. The article is a good read and I highly recommend it. I decided to summarize a few of the suggestions here, but you really ought to read the whole article.

1. Ear infections: greatly related to diet; cut out pasteurized milk which is the greatest culprit -- A warm wheat bag on the ear provides enormous pain relief. A warm wheat bag is made of fabric filled with plain unground wheat kernels—you can make your own if you want. You put it in the microwave with 1/2 cup of water for a minute or two so that it becomes just hot to the touch. These are really comforting for the child.

2. Headaches -- Again, related to diet --Headaches often occur when blood sugar is low, so three solid meals a day, with adequate animal protein and plenty of fat, form the basis of prevention. Avoid sugar and MSG—both will cause headaches. Headaches also occur when dehydrated—often after playing soccer. Coconut water, kombucha and other fermented drinks are the best way to rehydrate; they are much better than plain water. We use canned coconut water at sporting events. If none of these types of beverages is available, have your child drink plain water, but not more than two four-ounce drinks every 30 minutes; otherwise it will just go to the kidneys.

3. Fevers -- Don't use Tylenol or other drugs to bring it down! Why do our bodies produce fever? One reason is that fevers slow down pathogens. The germ, bacteria or virus causing the child’s distress wants to replicate every few minutes and the fever slows this process down. It slows down the spread and severity of the illness. So when you bring the fever down you are giving free license to the virus or bacteria to run amuck. And don’t panic if your child’s temperature gets to 102-103 degrees—this is the ideal range for a fever.

Food will naturally drop a fever within about 20 minutes and this drop will last for an hour or two. Just a few bites of scrambled egg or a few sips of broth can bring that fever down a bit. It will not make the fever go away but will manage it hopefully within the 102-103 degree range.

If over 103 degrees—then you need to take steps to bring it down. A cool water enema is one good way to do this. Just get a thick beach towel and put it in the tub. Lay your child on his side without taking clothes off. Slide their pajamas down a little. Place 1/2 to 1 quart warm filtered water in the bag and insert the enema nozzle. Your child will start to feel pressure and will want to go to the bathroom—the water usually doesn’t run out. Then gently put him on the toilet and let him go. This will usually bring the fever down by a degree or two.

High fevers—those that range between 104 and 105 degrees—are not dangerous in themselves, but they make the metabolism run very fast and increase the risk of dehydration. Blood sugar often drops, which can lead to convulsions. Your child can sip 50 percent diluted fresh fruit juice to keep tissues hydrated and blood sugar levels in the normal range. If your child will not take anything, you can administer about 4 ounces diluted fruit juice rectally using a bulb syringe. The body will absorb it rectally. It won’t run out. This may save your child a trip to the emergency room.

4. Tummy aches -- Use slippery elm tincture. Give a few drops in a little water and the tummy ache is gone in about 10 minutes. You can purchase a glycerin-based, non-alcohol tincture of slippery elm at the health food store. Follow the directions on the bottle for the dose. Also, a wheat bag on the stomach or a warm bath will do wonders for a tummy ache.

5. Vomiting -- once your child starts vomiting, don’t give him food, water or liquids for two hours. The stomach wants to rest and if you give food or liquids, it will prolong the vomiting.

6. Diarrhea - Nothing works better than broth for stopping diarrhea— a few tablespoons at a time and very frequently. Broth works because the gelatin in broth binds up the liquid in the colon. It gives bulk and helps to stop the loss of fluids. With really severe diarrhea, you can give an enema to counteract dehydration.

7. Pink Eye -- Place a drop or two of raw milk or colostrom in each eye—this works wonders. Frequent pink eye may be a sign of vitamin A deficiency, so pay attention to the daily dose of cod liver oil.

8. Chicken Pox -- Let the illness run its course; and let any fever do its work. The main thing is to relieve itching, which can be done with baking soda baths. Use a one-pound box per bath.

9. Sore Throat --The best remedy for sore throat is a fever; help her generate a fever by giving her a fever bath. Put her in the tub. Fill it with water as hot as she can stand. You can get it hotter for them if you put them in it while you are filling it. You want it pretty hot, but still comfortable. Leave her in the bath for 10-12 minutes, then get her out, dry her quickly and wrap her up tight. Put her into bed, well covered up.

An ode to a fever

As much as I feared getting a fever, I am now a firm believer that when you are sick, a fever is your best friend. I know it doesn't make sense because a fever makes you feel miserable. But it really attacks your sickness and you get better so much faster!

Case in point: Karlie was miserable on Thursday, and Karis and I were miserable on Friday. With the girls, I let the fever run its course like I always do. I never give them Tylenol, because it keeps the body from fighting off illness on its own. Now, their fevers got really high and they were very lethargic and miserable (hard for a mama to watch!) but it worked and both of the girls were 100% better in just 24 hours! It was amazing. I mean, they woke up bright-eyed and bushy-talied and had way too much energy for me :) I was still utterly miserable because I had to make my fever come down anytime it peaked so it wouldn't harm the baby. So I've been fighting this fever for 3 days now.

But I'm still thankful. Abbi Grace is alive and well, kicking me all over like crazy, but staying put for a little while. That was my biggest prayer. Now if she could just give me this next week to regain my strength, stop coughing, breathe again, and eventually try to get my house back in order and rid it of flu germs. Can you imagine how much laundry I have piled up since I haven't done any in 4 days? And it probably won't happen tomorrow, either :) But that's ok. The biggest priority is for me to rest up so that my body will be ready whenever Abbi decides that it is time to come out! Oh, I can't wait to meet her!