Here Comes the Sun; Throw Out the Sunscreen

In Western New York, summer has finally moved in.  The sun is shining brightly and weekends are filled with barbecues and trips to the beach.

Don’t forget the sunscreen, right?

Not so fast.

Slathering on sunscreen could actually be causing deficiency in Vitamin D.

Some of the functions of Vitamin D include preventing cancer, boosting immunity, and maintaining healthy teeth and bones.  Those who are deficient often feel lethargic and catch colds and other bugs frequently.

Sunscreens can protect against both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun.  UVA radiation is associated with the aging and cancer-causing effects that we are all so worried about, but our bodies use UVB radiation to make Vitamin D! And Vitamin D actually protects us from those very problems.

Even low SPF formulas effectively block UVB rays and prevent our bodies from making Vitamin D.

Is it any wonder why Vitamin D deficiency is being called the new epidemic?

In fact, melanomas often occur on areas that are not exposed to sunlight, suggesting that there are other factors at play other than ultraviolet rays.  I’d guess it has to do with the inability of the skin to properly protect because of a deficiency of Vitamin D.

Dr. Joseph Mercola recently wrote about a boy who was so low in Vitamin D that he had rickets!  The cause was discovered when his mother reported that she was coating him from head to toe in sunscreen whenever he stepped outside.

Instead of sunburn, he was headed towards serious health complications because his body was prevented from doing what it was designed to do.

A usual, it distills down to common horse sense.

Don’t want too much sun for fear of a burn?

Wear protective clothing and spend part of the day in the shade.

Hell-oh!

Sunburn is never a good thing, but if it does occur, try my go-to natural solution.  Add a few drops of Calendula tincture to some cool water and gently pat it on the burn.  Cantharis 30 is also a great remedy should a burn occur.

 

Instead of depending on well-marketed skin products,  ill- informed dermatologists, and pop-culture edicts, buy yourself a jar of coconut oil, rub some into the skin and get outside.  And then thank God–the sun is finally here again.

*Some info in this article came the Dr. Mercola’s article that can be found here.

 

 

 

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Our 12 month study of homeopathy – How to Raise a Drug Free Family System— has begun.  The second monthly webinar is June 19th.  Joette has decided to add more time to each webinar because there's so much that needs to be covered. She will also offer time at the end for your questions.

There is still time to join! We can priority ship your materials in time for you to participate in the next webinar.

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Homeopathy is Purr-fect

Twelve years ago, I received a call from someone who knew we were in the market for a cat and asked if I’d take a sickly kitten.  Foolishly (or perhaps not), we took on this project and named the little waif Carmelina.

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Oh No! It’s Poison Ivy Again

 

That itching.  Those vesicles.  As the mother of three active boys I knew all too well what they meant.  My boys were into the poison ivy again.  Maybe your kids, like mine, have recently made the discovery of a little three-leafed plant that left them covered in blisters that itched and spread wherever they scratched.

 

Conventional medicine treats poison ivy, as it does most rashes, with oral or topical steroids.  This removes the rash (a short-term solution) by blocking the body’s immune response.  Homeopathic principles dictate that whenever symptoms are suppressed they are not resolved, but rather driven deeper into the body to reappear at a different time and perhaps in a more serious form.  Keeping this in mind, I urge moms to treat their family’s  itchy summer rash themselves, without harmful steroids.

 

When treating poison ivy, most people who are familiar with homeopathy automatically think of Rhus tox (the Latin name for poison ivy) because it is the remedy made from the poison ivy plant.  Rhus tox is indeed a powerful treatment for poison ivy, but it must fit the symptoms in order to work.  Actually, the most common remedy for poison ivy is Anacardium.

 

Keep the following list of remedies with their identifying features handy and you’ll be prepared whenever someone in your family accidentally comes in contact with this troublesome plant.

 

Pay special attention to the location of the rash, the type of pustules that form, and the general demeanor and preferences of the person when making your choice.  As always, anything that seems peculiar is especially helpful in pointing to the correct remedy.

 

Remedies:

 

• Anacardium 30: Think Anacardium for swelling and rashes that itch intensely and burn when they are scratched.  While scratching makes the itching worse by causing the eruptions to becoming red and inflamed, rubbing actually brings some relief to the sufferer.  The symptoms are usually worse on the left side and at night-time.  Warm applications and a warm bed increase the agony, but interestingly, the person usually welcomes a warm drink.   This is generally the 1^st remedy to consider, but make certain it fits.

 

• Croton Tiglium 30:  The rash that calls for Crot-t  blisters with inflammation and itching.  Common areas of outbreak for this remedy include the scalp, the face in general, near the eyes, the genitals, buttocks, or lower limbs.  Like the Anacardium patient, scratching aggravates and leads to burning and much pain.  Also like Anacardium, the rash may be worse at night and on the left side of the body.

We can distinguish Crot-t from Anacardium by the presence of yellowish eruptions.  In fact, Crot-t is known as the yellow      remedy.  The pustules can ooze yellowish matter, which then dries to form thick grayish/brownish scabs.

Light pressure ameliorates, but the person feels tight all over his body and mentally inflexible and rigid.  Quite frankly, he cannot bear the rash.

 

• Graphites 30:  Honey-like symptoms point us to the remedy Graphites.  When the rash is scratched, the resulting discharge is sticky and yellowish.  It may also burn.  The torso and limbs are most often affected and they become crusty-looking.  Relief comes from such rough rubbing and scratching that the sufferer actually tears her skin.  Being wrapped up may improve the situation as well because the person is generally chilly and feels thick and dull.

 

• Sulphur 30: When scratching causes the pustules to bleed yet brings relief to the individual, look to Sulphur.  There may be a yellowish or white discharge after scratching, and what remains of the pustule will be crusty and dry. This remedy will be indicated when the person feels better in the warmth of his bed as well as from taking a bath and washing up. Generally, Sulphur symptoms are left-sided and afflict the scalp.  Facial swelling may be present. The person requiring this remedy may be irritable and though the warmth of the bed is comforting, he may be restless at night and have difficulty sleeping.

 

 

• Rhus tox 30: Unlike Anacardium, hot showers actually bring relief to the person needing Rhus tox.  Outbreaks may be on the face, around the eyes, the genitals, and on the palms in particular.  Vesicles may line up along a scratch and the skin itself may actually look angry.  Similarly, the individual is irritable and his mind is restless.  Resting is of no help; movement and dry, warm air ameliorates.  Aggravations include a warm bed, nighttime, and scratching.

 

Administer the chosen remedy in the 30^th potency three to four times a day, reducing the frequency as symptoms improve.  If a lower potency like 12X or 6X is all you have on hand, you can use it, but you may have to administer more frequently.  If you don’t see even the tiniest bit of improvement after the second or third dose, try the remedy that seems to be the next most likely choice.

 

Prophylactic use

If you’re one of those people who always seems to get a rash if you’re anywhere near a poison ivy plant, I’ve seen excellent results with the following protocol.  Use four doses of Rhus tox 30 in one day at the onset of the season to help minimize the intensity of the exposure.  This is done one day a week for a month.

 

So although the suffering from this plant is noteworthy, the solution is always near at hand.

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Whole Grains, Demystified

Is there anything more inviting than the smell of baking bread? Freshly-baked bread spread with rich butter seems like one of the most wholesome things we could feed our families until we read about the problems associated with gluten, refined flours, or unsoaked grains. Perhaps, like I was, you’re confused by all the conflicting messages you’ve heard about whole grains. Let me explain to you what I’ve learned from the nutritional research of the Weston A. Price Foundation and Sally Fallon’s marvelous cookbook Nourishing Traditions.

Let’s first tackle the subject of gluten, a protein found in many grains. Wheat, rye, barley, and oats all contain gluten, wild rice, millet, and buckwheat do not. Gluten can be difficult for some people to digest, leading to annoyances like flatulence, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. More seriously, those with Celiac disease have a severe gluten allergy that causes intestinal tract damage and nutritional deficiencies.

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I often encourage my clients to go gluten-free for at least a period of time to see whether the absence of this protein in their diets leads to physical improvement. Plus I’ve collected so many yummy gluten-free recipes! However, this doesn’t mean that I believe everyone needs to completely avoid wheat or rye products. In fact, those with gluten sensitivities may actually be able to tolerate some gluten-containing grains with proper preparation. One to try is spelt, an ancient member of the wheat family that may be easier to digest than modern varieties. The great thing about spelt is that it can usually be substituted for whole-wheat flour in recipes with similar results.

Maybe you’ve heard about soaking or sprouting grains before cooking, but are confused about why the process is beneficial. All grains contain some amount of phytic acid, an antinutrient that blocks the absorption of minerals such as calcium and magnesium in the intestines. Soaking flour or grains for at least seven hours in acidified water or cultured milk products like buttermilk or yogurt allows the enzyme phytase to begin breaking down phytic acid, neutralizing this potentially harmful compound and actually increasing nutrient availability. You can think of soaking as a type of predigestion. In fact, because gluten is partially broken down during soaking, soaked grains are generally more digestible for those with gluten sensitivity. You’ll find lots of great recipes using soaked grains in Nourishing Traditions.

Allow me to share one more delicious tip for making whole grains more digestible: eat your bread with a spread of raw honey. The pollen in raw honey contributes an enzyme called amylase (also found in saliva) that helps break down starch into sugar. In effect, you’re initiating the digestion process before you even start eating. How’s that for an easy –to-follow health suggestion?

Make it your goal to avoid commercial bread products, even those touted as healthy whole-grain options. They contain flours that have been stripped of their naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals then fortified with synthetic versions. If you love white bread, experiment with recipes using soaked whole wheat flour. The soaking process softens the wheat so much that it yields results very similar to refined white flour. If your schedule is such that bread making isn’t possible, look for artisan sourdough bread made with whole-grain flour. Fermenting also allows for the breakdown of phytic acid before consumption.

Then tear a piece of hearty bread and top it with a big chunk of cold raw butter. ‘Nothing like it!

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Here’s the Scoop on Croup

In case you missed my free webinar, The Five Most Common Mistakes Parents Make in Their Children’s Health, I wanted to share an excerpt from the section on croup.

 

Croup is a respiratory infection accompanied by a harsh, barking cough. Most common in very young children, croup frightens parents because it sounds as if the child can’t catch his breath. This viral infection leads to swelling that constricts the respiratory passages causing very loud breathing sounds. Croup should be carefully watched, and emergency care sought if breathing is too labored, but a parent armed with a little homeopathic know-how and common horse sense can successfully treat croup at home.

 

First, bring your child into the bathroom and place him next to the running shower where he will be exposed to the steam. You should see a modicum of improvement in his breathing after half an hour or so of being exposed to this warm, moist air. The breathing passages will relax and the cough will diminish.

 

Next, select the best fit from the following three homeopathic remedies.

 

When choosing croup remedies, our main focus is time.

 

• If the cough begins just after midnight and your little one is fearful, then the remedy is Aconitum 30. As always, Aconitum is most useful at the beginning stages of an illness and for symptoms that come on suddenly. So if your child has had croup for over 24 hours, it’s unlikely that Aconitum will be of value.

 

• If instead, it’s closer to 2 AM or the cough sounds like a saw grinding through wood, then use Spongia 30. Cold drinks and talking make the cough worse when Spongia is the correct remedy.

 

• A croup cough that begins at 3 AM generally calls for Hepar sulph 30. The child is irritable and the cough rattling. Coldness and drafts make the cough worse.

 

Choose one of the above remedies and administer it every 30 minutes if the cough is severe and every 2 hours if it’s a milder version. As soon as improvement ensues, stop the remedy.  One of the clearest signs that the baby is improving is if he falls asleep.  If on waking the cough returns, continue treatment.

 

There you have it! You’ve just learned how to treat a cough that has frightened parents and baffled emergency room personnel for years. In just 3 minutes, you’ve become a mini expert. You can treat your child’s croup yourself.

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Do you wish you could be the healer in your family? I know what it’s like. As a mom and homeopath, I’ve distilled my techniques into a system that will teach you how to take care of your family via homeopathy, common horse sense and just the right measure of nutrition. It’s called “How to Raise a Drug Free Family” and I teach you my methods, tips and tricks designed for mothers and others all wrapped up into one system. I promise you’ll love what you’ll be able to accomplish with this information.
http://homeopathyworks.net/offers/drugfree.html

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How Safe Are Homeopathic Remedies?

Here’s a little exchange I had recently with a reader via our facebook site.  I think it’s a helpful illustration of the safety of homeopathic remedies.

 

Q: Based on what I learned from your webinar, I recently used Chamomilla with great success on my grandson.  My daughter was curious about the remedy so she looked it up on the internet.  She read that Chamomilla is a blood thinner.  Should we be concerned by this?

 

A:   What your daughter likely found on the internet was information regarding chamomile, the herb.   Homeopathic remedies can be made from herbs but utilize a special process that renders the original substance relatively safe.   The potency or dilution process as well as the frequency of dosing is what determines the safety. When used in the common potencies such as 30x or 30c (available at health food stores and in our office) and when used as directed,  homeopathic remedies are one of the safest forms of medicine on the market.   The unique dilution process eliminates toxicity and brings forth the curative aspect of the original substance from which it's made.  There is nothing in these 30^th potencies that should cause any concern as long as they are used according to the directions.

 

Further, Chamomilla acts as a blood thinner only in those whose blood needs thinning.  In the same way, it will only work for teething problems when teething problems are present.  Remedies don’t force a pathology like drugs.  They simply stimulate the body’s ability to make things right.

 

Remedies are prepared from benign as well as noxious substances.  During the dilution and succession process, the toxicity is actually reversed and the substance becomes restorative.  For example, if exposure to poison ivy causes a painful rash, poison ivy made into a homeopathically prepared remedy can help someone suffering with the same symptoms.  Hence it would be considered for chicken pox.

 

Chemically speaking, once we move past a 12C dilution, there is only a nano amount of the original substance that remains in the remedy.  Even if we begin with something toxic like poison ivy, once diluted and potentized, its toxicity is eliminated.  That is the great mystery of chemistry.

 

In all of homeopathy’s 200-plus years of medical history, not a single remedy (all of which are regulated by the FDA, by the way) has been taken off the market.  I’ll bet the drug companies wish they could say that!

 

Be bold in taking charge of your family’s health, but rest assured that homeopathic remedies are safe when administered properly.  If you are already using homeopathy at home, you’re on the right track.  I encourage you to take advantage of the resources we offer at homeopathyworks.net to help you develop confidence in your ability to treat the illness that are bound to come your way.  Yearn to learn.

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Handle Fevers with Homeopathy, Not Drugs

As a parent, is there anything more frightening than a young child with a high fever? Even those of us who have decided to raise our children without the use of drugs could find our resolve weakening without proper preparation in the face of a thermometer reading north of 103⁰. Before you grab the Tylenol, take the time to memorize these three fever remedies.

 

This is the whole point of my recently introduced system How to Raise a Drug Free Family. We owe it to our families to learn this stuff now, before the fever hits or the flu appears.

 

Here’s my easy to remember ABC guide to treating fevers with homeopathy:

 

A) Aconitum 30: This remedy is useful for a fever with quick onset. In contrast to an illness that develops over several days, fevers that can be helped with Aconitum are suddenly high. However, if you don’t catch the fever within the first 12 hours of illness, don’t bother with this remedy. It won’t be the correct choice at that point.

 

B) Belladonna 30: If the fever is very high, think Belladonna. The child’s face might be flushed bright red from the heat and his eyes may be glassy with dilated pupils. He may even appear delirious.

 

C) Chamomilla 30: Chamomilla is an extremely useful remedy for fevers accompanying teething. The child who needs Chamomilla is fractious, unable to be comforted, and irritable. He may beg to be picked up, but then demand to be put down again. If you see a child arching his back in frustration while being held, this is a good indication that Chamomilla is the remedy required.

 

Give a dose of your chosen remedy every 3 hours up to 4 doses and stop as soon as there’s improvement. If your child falls asleep, that’s a great sign that you’ve probably selected the proper remedy. If the fever has returned when he awakens, then continue using that same remedy.

 

If you’ve selected correctly, you’ll witness a thing of beauty.  Remember, we’re really not treating a fever; we’re just using the characteristics of it to help us determine the remedy that needs to be used to treat the child as a whole.

 

The fever will inadvertently melt away, but more importantly, the child will be well—most noticeably in his demeanor.  If you don’t see this occur, then you've chosen incorrectly or not used the correct procedure because homeopathy ALWAYS works when the remedy is right on.  There you have it!  Now you’re a fever expert.

 

 

Just a gentle reminder that if you find this kind of information useful , then consider studying with a select group of mothers and others in my year long system;  How to Raise a Drug Free Family. I promise you’ll love what you and your family will get out of this. 
http://homeopathyworks.net/offers/drugfree.htm

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