Got a case of "The Blues?"

One of the reasons I got so involved in Natural Medicine was my youngest daughter. After her father died, we all went into a state of depression - she didn't bounce back like her sister did. When I found I couldn't reach her I took her to a psychologist who promptly said she needed drugs.... yes, on the first visit... and yes, within the first ten minutes. I had done my research and knew the statistics. "The FDA has determined that antidepressant medications increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children wand adolescent with depression and other psychiatric disorders..." http://www.medicinenet.com/teen_depression/page2.htm so why would I make this choice for my daughter?

I refused and the doctor was very adamant that my daughter would not get better without these drugs and that the side effects I was talking about were "rare." I told her to give me three weeks. If she didn't see an improvement between my efforts and hers in that time, I would give her way a shot. She agreed. I spent the next several days researching. I found several places where a change of diet, exercise, and addition of specific herbs helped. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsatod/a/depression1.htm PLEASE NOTE - not all of these are a good solution for teens. You MUST read up on every one to determine the best solution for your family.

I took away all processed foods (frozen dinners / fast food / canned meals / packaged meals), all refined white sugar and white flour, and replaced with as many fresh fruits and vegetables of varying colors as I could. I already cooked meals from scratch, so she was used to that already. No sodas, no sweets, and no junk food. We started her on a multi-vitamin for teens (I am not usually an advocate of multi-vitamins), omega 3-6-9 capsule, and 60mg of ginkgo daily. And then some type of sustained exercise (even if it was just walking) for 30 minutes daily.

Understand that this change took several trials and errors - but once we had it set, there was a noticeable difference right away. Within three days you could tell she was on the right track - and if she missed days, it only took three for me to know it. The psychologist was AMAZED. She couldn't believe the difference and asked what we were doing.

Please remember, that this is what worked best for my daughter. Every person is different. Our experiments took about three weeks to perfect for her. This isn't a short term fix. I am happy to report that my daughter is now 21 and a happy vibrant girl. She still takes her omegas and ginkgo every day and is very careful with her diet.

Did you know....

Good Morning!
I woke up thinking about quick and easy things that everyone can do to improve their overall health. So let's play "Did you know?"

Honey not only is the only food substance that will not spoil, but it is also a natural antibiotic. It can be used to heal cuts / scrapes / burns. It can be added to your hot tea when you have a cold. It helps fight allergies - especially if you purchase honey that has been cultivated locally.

Oatmeal helps lower cholesterol, and also helps your skin. It fights acne (soap), dries up weeping rashes (bath), and there are many health benefits of eating whole rolled oats for breakfast - cancer fighting phytochemicals, and diabetes fighting soluble fiber. Avocado is also amazing for your skin.

Asparagus is one of your "super" vegetables. It has been shown to destroy cancer and tumors in the body if eaten regularly. Asparagus helps the body remain alkaline and cancer can't live in an alkaline environment.

The pectin in apples and grapes helps strengthen your nails.

A combination of Eucalyptus oil (40 drops) and Lemongrass oil (20 drops) mixed in water in a 32oz spray bottle has a multitude of uses. If sprayed around your windows (inside and out) and along your doors, will naturally deter bugs, and kill any that pass across it. I spray my house about once every three months, or as soon as I start to see creepy crawlies. If used in the laundry (I put it in the final rinse), it will keep bugs away from your clothes, towels, sheets.

Onion and garlic are natural mosquito repellents. On the flip side - if you eat bananas in the summertime, the chemical reaction in your body attracts the nasty little buggers. I buy pellets and sprinkle the yard every three weeks. I don't want to kill the mosquitoes because the birds eat them and I love listening to the birds. I have found that they also keep away moles and armadillos. :) A side benefit for sure! Plant either or both around your roses and they will keep the aphids and bugs away.

Colloidal Silver is probably the most important natural product to have in your home. It is a natural antibiotic and a powerful healer. It works on ear aches, to MRSA one of the most aggressive and deadly staph infections there is.

Well, how did you do? Got any for me? How about ideas for posts or questions you would like answers to? TTFN! E

My prescriptions are causing side effects... what do I do?

Good Evening!
I am off to my grams tomorrow so will be blogging twice today. I was asked this question earlier today and I had a very lengthy reply... and maybe not really what she had expected. Sorry Jen! :)

Let's take a look at it logically.... if you wanted to do something, but the side effect was a broken leg would you do it? It is difficult because we have been so trained to go to a doctor for every ailment to be fixed. Did you know that in other countries, doctors are paid to keep people HEALTHY... if the village doesn't remain healthy, the doctor doesn't get paid... shouldn't that be the way we look at our health system? Ok... off my soap box... :)

The specific question I was asked had to do with ADHD meds and a rash that she got when she took the meds. Now that you have heard my soapbox speech... you know how I reacted. :) When I was a child (70s) there was no such thing as ADD and ADHD. With the growth in fast food joints, sugary treats, and frozen dinners, we have had a huge influx of diagnosis for both. WHAT YOU EAT directly affects your well being. Take a frozen dinner - do you know where the vegetables come from? How old they are? Did the farmer use pesticides or herbicides? How often did they rotate the crops? do you know where the meat came from? Did they use steroids? How about antibiotics? and finally at the manufacturing plant. Did they use preservatives? Coloring agents? All of these things are negative influencers to your well being.

We are too busy to shop and cook dinner... kids are too picky.... it is too costly. I understand and had this same challenge as a single mom with two daughters. A couple things to note... when you feed your body better nutrients, you don't need as much. That is a smaller bill at the grocery store. Now add that food can help your body heal itself - if you feed it well - and you have fewer trips to the doctor and less chemicals going into your body. Getting the drift? Cook as a family. Cooking can be fun. And you don't have to do it all at once. Spagetti sauce / Lasagne sauce / Chilli... all these things taste better after a day - herbs meld together. Stirfry seems time consuming - why do it all at one time? During lunch chop a couple sets of vegetable and store in the fridge... then all you have to do is cook.

As for the kids... here is my secret. Give the kids a 30 minute menu recipe book, one with lots of pictures. Let them choose a meal once a month. Let them make the grocery list for that meal, help shop, and help prepare.... some will be a big hit, others will flop miserably... but they will get excited about cooking and help more often. Another secret, is an herb garden. Herbs are wonderful healers, and smell divine... grow a small one in the house and let the kids harvest the leaves for salads and meals.

Back to my friend with ADHD and a rash.... the first directive was to eat better, and exercise. Exercise is great for ADHD because it works the body and the mind. The endorphins released do a lot to help calm your body and mind. And she agreed that when she rode her bike and ran regularly she felt much better. Secondly, get off the medicine!!! There are a lot of natural alternatives. And lastly, to handle the rash until she is clear of the meds - go to the natural health food store and get some oatmeal soap. Use it at least once a day. Vitamins B & C are great skin healers as well...

Break out the wok and the herbs and create something wonderful ....

I don't feel good....

Good Morning!
We all have days that we just don't feel ourselves. I have a headache, I feel run down, I ache... What is my body trying to tell me?

Let's not run too far ahead. Start by going to a quiet place and relaxing. Not so easy to do in today's world, but it will get easier with practice. At first you may need to physically lock yourself away... eventually you will be able to open your mind and find that quiet place. When you get there, listen.... what is your body telling you?

Are you craving certain types of food? Salty? Sweet? This may be your body's way of telling you that you need certain things in your diet - Salty may translate to root vegetables. These vegetables grown in the ground absorb more minerals and salt from the earth. Sweet may translate to fruits - these are our natural "desserts."

Do you tend to lean towards certain colored fruits / vegetables without thinking about it? What foods catch your eye in the produce section? Dark Green? Purple? Orange? Walk through one day and let your mind / body tell you what you need. Dark Green vegetables are the most needed greens in your diet. You should look to add them as much as you can. If you don't like the dark green cooked - try it raw in a salad. Your dark fruits are the best to eat on a regular basis. They have the most beneficial nutrients. Blueberries and blackberries should be eaten weekly, as should bananas (the real fruit to keep the doctor away).

Is your body tired? Run down? Stress and depression hit your body hard. Believe it or not, forcing yourself to get out and do something active - especially outside in the sun, does a LOT to relieve that tired run down feeling. You don't have to go out and run a marathon - start slow. Go for a 30 minute walk. Pick up things in the yard. Make sure you get 30 minutes of sunshine (when possible) every day. It is a huge boost to your attitude and energy.

Until tomorrow... enjoy a day in the sun!

What's it all about?

Hi! I have been asked many many times to start writing a blog about natural medicine. I have been studying natural medicine for about ten years and every day find something new. I encourage all questions - if I don't have an answer for you I will strive to find one. The goal of this blog is to educate and encourage a lifestyle change for everyone that reads this.

So, to get started... what IS natural medicine? Naturopathy has three main components - diet, exercise, and mental well being. YOU have the ability to heal yourself with out drugs and chemicals. To be put simply, let's think of our body as a house and your ailments as an alarm system for our house. This alarm system has multiple dimensions - motion sensing lights outside, a locked gate, a locked door, an alarm system (lights / sounds), etc... Your body has all these same things - you feel run down, you have a headache, you have a fever, you have an ache... these are all the warning signs that something is not right.

In western culture, we have been taught to take a pill and it fixes everything.... we don't LISTEN to what our body is trying to tell us. We want a quick fix... well. Those quick fixes cause more issues. Have you ever read the side affects to all the drugs that you take? Do we even listen to the commercials about the drugs and what COULD happen? So we take a pill to fix our ailment - which causes / triggers other ailments - so we take a pill to fix our ailment... and it becomes a vicious cycle. It is time to start to really listen to our bodies and what they are trying to tell us.

Did you know that asparagus kills cancer and tumors? Did you know that Collodial Silver destroys the most deadly and most difficult to kill staph infection (MRSA)? Did you know that most diseases that kill people over the age of 50 have a direct connection to dehydration?

Join me on an exploration... let's heal together....