Websites to Check Out

Here are two good websites I wanted to share:

http://www.mercola.com/

http://www.naturalnews.com/

The Artificial Color Rainbow

I was recently having a conversation with some friends and one of them mentioned that they were recently diagnosed with adult ADHD. He has been on medication for a year I believe. Now having read a lot of books on vaccinations this topic comes up a lot due to the fact that there is some speculation that this disorder is linked to being vaccinated. I mentioned to him that artificial colors are a big trigger for ADHD/ADD. He had no idea. He said that I was the first person that ever told him that. I am not shocked by that. The mainstream western medical doctors in America can be driven by pharmaceutical companies making it such that those are the only remedies they offer. Now I know doctors can't know everything all the time but I feel like most people think they do. It is so important to do your own research especially when it pertains to your body. Doctors are only human and make mistakes or leave out information just like regular people. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/07/30/doctors-death-part-one.aspx Now in this person's case, he is on the medication but if he continues to consume food that triggers his disorder what is that doing to his body? I'm not sure but it seems to me like it would cause unneeded stress to his system. Remember, everything you put into your body has some sort of reaction.

Fluoride

Fluoride is a funky topic for me. Admittedly I have not researched it enough. I was however, reading my book "The Hundred Year Lie" and they touched on the topic. In reading this my feeling on the topic resurfaced so I thought I would post.

I used to only use toothpaste without fluoride but then I got paranoid because my teeth are pretty susceptible to issues so I went to a natural toothpaste like Tom's or Jason's with fluoride.

Now, again I haven't researched this but the book said that fluoridation came about in 1939 when a scientist (here we go again with these friggen scientists) working under a grant from the Aluminum Company of America recommended that it be added to the water supply to help prevent tooth decay. The author goes on to say that there was a reason the aluminum company recommended this. Apparently the aluminum and fertilizer companies create a by-product in their factory smokestacks called silicofluoride which contains lead, cadmium, arsenic and other toxins. It is very costly to properly dispose of this waste so they sold it to make fluoride. GREAT, just GREAT!!

Now as I read on I got a feeling that most of the concern is for ingesting the fluoride (seems obvious with the ingredients right) via the water supply but I suppose you still absorb a portion even if it is topical via toothpaste or dental treatments.

I feel like this is yet again another situation where you just feel defeated. We are constantly being bombarded by toxic chemicals so that someone can make or save a buck.

I will end this with a quote from the book:

"If the stuff gets out into the air, it's a pollutant. If it gets into the river, it's a pollutant. If it gets into the lake, it's a pollutant. But if it goes right straight into your drinking water system, it's not a pollutant. That's amazing!"

http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

Ear Injuries

I was on the phone the other day and all of the sudden I hear my son screaming (that blood curdling cry scream). I get off the phone, run into the room and he is holding his ear crying and screaming "sissy put a chopstick in my ear". Holy crap is what is going in my head at that very moment. I can't even imagine the pain that would cause.

So what now... Now I would like to think I know a little about a lot of things, but ears...I've got nothing! My kids have never even had an ear infection so I have not had to deal with ears issues. There was no blood (typically this type of injury produces a lot of blood) so I wasn't sure what the damage was but I knew it had to be checked out. I tried calling some people and of course now is the time NO ONE answers their phones!

The crappy thing is I was in the process of switching pediatricians but hadn't made it official so when I called her office they were only taking messages. Someone was supposed to call me back, however that obviously wasn't going to work I had a screaming child on my hands. So my husband finally called back and told me to go to the walk in clinic so I did. They were backed up and told me to go to the ER. I didn't want to do that because I know that is never a speedy process. I called my old pediatrician and they told me to come right in (darn, should have done that first).

He checked his ear and said he had a perforated eardrum. My poor baby!! The orders were to not put anything in the ear and make sure nothing (including water) gets in his ear until he re checks it in 2 weeks (the average time it takes to heal). Now going back to my original comment about knowing nothing about ears, when the injury first happened and no one answered their phone I thought I had to do something so I put a drop of garlic and mullein oil in his ear (feeling pretty bad about that!) I knew those drops were anti-bacterial/anti-fungal so I thought maybe it would soothe the pain.

I did put a call into my naturopath and she suggested I give him Arnica (trauma/bruising) and Ledum (puncture wounds) homeopathics. I also purchased some moldable ear buds for when he is taking a bath or around water.


So the moral of this story is to never give children chopsticks and don't put anything in an ear if it's been injured!

Hummus

I made two different hummus dips for a party this weekend and they were very tasty. Here are the recipes:

Black Bean Hummus:
1 can black beans drained
1/2 C Tahini
1/4 C lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
dash of cayenne

Put all ingredients in food processor then slowly add oilve oil till it gets a smooth consistency.

Guacamole Hummus:
1 can chick peas
2 Haas avocados
1/4 C lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 package of organic guacamole seasoning (or add your own spices)

Put all ingredients in food processor then slowly add olive oil till it gets a smooth consistency.

Safety of Food

I have another vent session I thought I would throw out there to see what other people might think about it. With the tragedy in Japan resulting in the massive amount of radiation spewing in the environment it triggered me to think about what is safe to eat anymore. It mostly just left me frustrated (hence the venting). So you have the radiation in the air there, the oil spill in the Gulf here, the factory farming in the middle....so, what's safe to eat? I'm not trying to be paranoid but it is something to consider before eating.

Vitamin Shoppe Deals

Just wanted to pass along that you can find some really great bargains at the Vitamin Shoppe store. I am not sure if they have stores everywhere though. The last several times I have been there I got 50% off skin products like HUGO Naturals and a great organic travel mug (made from corn). They also sell a lot of homeopathic medicine too that are competitively priced. Check them out!

Microwave - Can you live without it?

As a modern convenience to probably 90% or more of our society did you ever wonder if you could live without your microwave? A few years back I decided I was going to limit my use and put it out of reach so it wasn't as tempting (on top of the fridge). This did help, a lot actually. Then one day about a year and a half ago my husband moved the fridge away from the wall and SPLAT, there went the microwave! He of course felt really bad, but I was actually happy. I knew I wasn't going to buy a new one and got to see how I could function without the temptation. Usually the first thing people ask me when they see I don't have one is "how do you reheat things?" Uh... the same way I cooked it in the first place... the stove or the oven :o)

So, why am I not a fan of the microwave? It produces radiation to cook your food and also emits electric magnetic energy. Both of these things I like to minimize if at all possible. If you plan on keeping yours, try not to stand in front of it when it’s on. Also, don't heat your food in plastic. I know snopes issued a comeback saying this was perfectly acceptable, but let's look at it logically. Plastics are loaded with chemicals. Heat it up and expands and contracts, risking possible leaks into your food. The known carcinogenic in a lot of plastics, BPA, will attach itself to any animal fat when heated (so don't pour hot food containing animal fat into a plastic container). I will end with a quote from Deirdre Imus from her book "Growing up Green";

"Microwaves are a perfect example of American's obsession with convenience above all else...our insistence on taking shortcuts, even at our own peril."

Magic Eraser -- Not so Magical

Does anyone know what makes the magic eraser so magical? I wonder if it is the formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer it is made from? Holy crap, seriously people!? I of course learned this the hard way after it was rubbed on my kids arms and they started getting chemical burns on their skin. I'm really disliking chemists more and more these days. Let's just say I will no longer by buying this product anymore!

A Farm Near You

I went to a really great farm yesterday with the kids. It's called King Family Farm and Market. They have two locations; one in Myakka and one out east off SR70 and

Caruso Road

. They are not "certified" organic but they do everything as if they are. One of the neat things about it is they have signs above all the sections of produce telling when that batch was harvested. The stuff was amazingly fresh and super yummy! After we picked our produce we went out to cut our own flowers, which the kids loved! Then they had a few horses so we went to feed them. If you don't live around here, I encourage you to seek out some farms in your area. You will find not only is it cheaper then the grocery store, it is way fresher!

Here is their info:
King Family Farm and Market
4630 60th St E, Bradenton, FL 34203
Tues-Sat 9am-6pm
kingfarmmarket@gmail.com
941-773-1624