oh how i love my vitamins!!!

i have gotten very lazy about our vitamins and supplements as of late... you'd think i'd be as pleased as punch that i feed my family only real food, with the exception of stopping at wendy's every now and again for some chicken nuggets for the posse (which are supposedly real chicken, who knows but they taste good), i don't allow anything artifical to enter the premises and i'm big on whole grains. but either i've come up with not enough time to run by dr.d's office for refills or i forgot to stop by mama jeans; my excuses are long on why we're out of vitamin D and C, the fish oil is almost empty, the magnesium lotion has not magically reproduced inside of that cute little blue bottle and the aloe vera juice is bone dry and don't get me started on when the probiotics ran out... the only thing i haven't let disipate is the non-aluminum baking soda (this assists in keeping a balanced pH, just fyi).

but no more!!! i am tired of feeling tired and run down.... my poor system is having supplement withdraw! maybe it's just me that is crazy about keeping myself and the kids (my Man is a hopeless cause for supplements, unless he's sick then he wants me to put "something" together for him, oh well... the poor guy has gone totally all natural and organic on my request and there is very little complaining to boot!!) on vitamins and supplements, but even with our good eating habits it is just impossible to get all the good stuff into our systems and stay healthy.

i will brag (just a little) that this year we have avoided the flu (my Man & i did get the respiratory flu stuff back in november but it was very short lived for me & some sniffles last week, hello vitamin D and green tea... i'm just sayin') for the first time in forever!! baby 'K' has had a day here and there of upset tummy and he's had just one ear infection, which is crazy awesome in comparison to last year! it was winter of '08 that i began our conversion to organic eating along with our natural medicine choices and there has been no looking back... i totally believe that our lack of flu & colds is due to the healthy foods we eat and the supplements to stimulate our body's natural defenses.

you might be saying i'm silly for thinking a bunch of herbs & vitamins will keep me well & heal sickness but i will have to disagree... i have experienced amazing healing from simply headaches or colds to finding relief from severe digestive problems and a reproductive disease...

truly, it's a small price to pay for some green tea & echinacea & some lemon balm, throw in some probiotics (we do ours for about 2 weeks out of each month during flu season and a full 2 week regimin once every 90 days otherwise) along with aloe vera juice in the morning (aloe vera is a prebiotic that enhances the work of the probiotics, plus it's great for digestion, skin, internal anti-inflammatory... per my own experience and many a research done by super-smart scientists) and i throw in an extra 500mg vitamin C chewable and our vitamin D drops and the basic multi-vitamin & mineral tab. as i write this i think i might sound like a lot to remember or buy, but not so much.

i mean.... how much does it cost you to go the doctor's office? fill the prescription? time off of work? how much is your time worth? i absolutely despise feeling sick and i most certainly hate paying medical bills, so if there are measures i can take to heal my body and prevent illness, well i'm gonna do it!!

because i am asked by my family & friends quite abit about what i read to educate myself about natropathic/homeopathic cures & organic foods, here are just a couple things i've read recently:

the pH miracle: wow!! this book taught me a truck-load about my body and what i should be doing to keep it working at its optimum... and while i am not completely able to turn away from all sugar (i ate a twix today and it was scrumptious!) and i don't totally buy that all diseases can be wiped out my balancing my pH, because i have a pretty close to neutral pH and still experience some issues with my own disease, this book is an absolute wealth of information and i recommend it.

the seven pillars of health is probably a staple in many homes but is a Christian-based book about taking care of our body and living naturally.

i love to pick the brain of my natro-physician, dr.d and i love to sift through all the research done by my friend dave for his son, jaymun, and the internet is endless with info on learning to eat better!! and if you have an amazing local health food store with an awesome herb & supplement & vitamin department, then that is a great resource for you to learn something new about taking care of you & the family, naturally! (a side note: health food or supplement stores can be totally overwhelming, and there are a lot of choices so do some research on the side if you are feeling confused)

so i have my list made, i have researched a new multi-vitamin for myself and will let you know how i like it, and i will be picking up all my natural goodies this week... i can just feel my energy increasing as i write!!!

be healthy.... just try adding some fish oil to your juice in the morning or doing a round of probiotics and see how you feel... start small and work your way into taking care of your body, and if you have questions about the exact brands or whatever, just comment and let me know what you think:) and if you have any good tips on natural health, please let me hear it :)

*just so you know... i am not a natropathic doctor or expert in natural or homeopathic medicine and any claims of healing or cures that i have written about is simply based upon my own experience with a product and is not an endorsement of their company or any claims they might make... this is my family's belief and choice to care for ourselves and kids.... okay ? :) great!!

treatment or prevention?

UPDATE: okay all you pretty people out there.... since you decided to obviously wait until the last minute, again, to enter to win your own Bonnots Mill candle, then i'll leave the comments open through tomorrow evening at 6pm CST, so leave your comment now!! smiles!!!

ORIGINAL:

okay, so i have promised for awhile now my thoughts and insight on natural medicine, and you're so blessed that today i will deliver!! now i'm of course not a doctor (but i do play one in real life!! dr.mama is my official title) but i have spent many, many hours researching, reading, working with other natropath researchers/believers and lots of conversations learning from my natropathic physican, Dr.D (who is brillant!!). so while i truly believe in all the stuff i'm going to chat with you about today, you should always contact your physcian, do your own research or find a natropath/homeopath doctor near you to answer your questions and create a protocol specific to your needs, okay? great!

remember when i wrote part #1 and part #2 concerning the medical issues i have been experiencing since march of 2008, and how i let you in on how i absolutely had my world turned upside down and around!! and in the midst of all the turmoil, i was lead to Dr.D and the world of organic eating and using alternative & natural medicines. and whoa!!! what an eye-opening experience! i never had really considered using vitamins, herbs and plants to heals disease, even though i was not big on traditional prescriptions with all the potential side effects, i had not seen the flip-side of natural alternatives.

so now i have become quite the natural medicine researcher, reading PubMed reports on what vitamins and herbs can do for cancer treatments (see a real life miracle in sweet Jaymun's life with natural cancer treatments), or how to treat 'P's allergies with an herb or give my Man more energy with the right combinations of vitamins and minerals, and bring some healing to my own body with the use of vitamins, herbs and food.

personally to keep myself going each day:

-MultiMedica for women, i love this vitamin!! weird thing to say, i know but when i feel healthy and strong and energized because of all the great stuff in these capsules then i can't help but shout it from the roof tops!! okay, maybe that's over the top, but with tons of vitamin A, all the B's, chromium, milk thistle, i could keep going but love it and how it keeps my body functioning at the highest levels possible.

-Micellized D3, now you might be thinking that there is probably some vitamin D in my amazing multivitamin and you would be correct; however do you know all the astounding benefits of D3 for your body? well you can click on the D3 link to learn tons more than i will ramble on about, but D3 increases your body's ability to absorb calcuim which buffers the acidity of your body, which is incredibly important, but more about that later...D3 stimulates your immune system and so much more. to help get the most out of the D3 i also take vitamin K with it.

-to keep my body's pH in check, and this is by far one of the most vital things i check each few days (of course in my opinion), and one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to keep a neutral pH is baking soda... i know crazy, huh?! check out this article from Dr.D about the importance of pH and how you can fix it!!

-you might be thinking: "what else you do take each day? geez!" but don't leave me now... one other supplement i'll share with you is my secret... ready for it? alright, it's not that big of a secret but it has made a huge difference for me, digestive enzymes. and what the heck are enzymes? so glad you asked!!! there are specific enzymes that are in our food that assist our digestive system, particularly your liver, in breaking down food and absorbing the nutrients necessary for optimum health and with colon health (i know it's your favorite thing to talk about!!), well when we cook our food the heat destroys much of the enzymes needed by our body and you're probably not getting a lot of raw or all natural foods these days. read this article as well from Dr.D about enzymes and just give it a try, if you so choose!!

alrighty!!! i won't bore you a further.... i could talk about natural medicine all day and night, i find it amazing that there are so many ways to treat our illnesses with everyday herbs and supplements. and by making some simple changes to our diets and adding a few extra supplements we can prevent illness instead of treating it. this is my new motto (hey! what's a motto with you?!! hee hee), the main reason for the complete turn around in our family is to be a great steward of these bodies God gave us. we only get one ya know!! so thus why you won't find any Double-Stuffed chocolate cookies at our home, well i do buy the all natural ones and they are super delicious, my Man didn't even know the diff!! i know that if i can form my Posse of Kiddos now into healthy eating habits & a crunchy-granola lifestyle then i am helping to prevent some sickness later.

here's a snipet of an article Dr.D wrote for me regarding keeping our kiddos well from all the pig flu (hee hee) infecting our nation:

How to protect yourself
As the 'flu is a viral infection, it will not respond to any antibiotic. Antibiotics are only effective in treating secondary bacterial infections sometimes associated with influenza.

Here are some of the best steps you can take to speed up your recovery:

*Stay in bed for a few days to rest.
*Increase your intake of vitamin A to 10,000 IUs a day. A liquid micellized form is recommended. The micellization process—a technique that may enhance absorption by producing extremely tiny droplets (micelles) that are easily assimilated by the body. Vitamin A may increase resistance to the Common Cold and may exert direct anti-viral effects against the Viruses that cause the Common Cold.
*Increase your intake of vitamin D to 2,000 IU’s a day. A liquid micellized form is recommended. Vitamin D may improve the function of the Lungs and prevent Respiratory Tract Infections.
*Take 1000-2000mg of vitamin C a day. Vitamin C may reduce the severity and duration of symptoms. Vitamin C may help to prevent Respiratory Tract Infections, reduces the severity of Respiratory Tract Infections and may accelerate the recovery from Respiratory Tract Infections.
*Use zinc lozenges to soothe a sore throat and Olive Leaf nasal spray for a runny nose.
*Chicken soup may soothe a sore throat, clear clogged passageways, and hydrate a thirsty body.

Watch out for 'flu in children
A toddler younger than two years is particularly vulnerable to highly infectious diseases like 'flu. In fact, all children younger than 12 years are susceptible to the 'flu virus. A temperature raised or lowered any degree from normal in a baby less than three months, above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in a child of three to six months, and a temperature above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit in an older child would be reason to get medical advice.
Tip: Do not exercise if you have 'flu! It may lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. You should generally not exercise for at least seven days after recovering from the 'flu, after which you can gradually return to exercise.

so there's my two cents for the time being regarding alternative/natural medicine... what do you think?

everyone who leaves me their two cents in the comments will be entered to win my last Bonnots Mill Candle from Flame & Flair that i have lying around.... okay i actually went out and bought it just for you!!!

so get to commentin'!!! i'll leave the comments open on this until tomorrow night at 10pm CST. i can't wait to hear what you've got to say!!

p.s. you shoud also check out my community on the right side bar about whether you are giving you kiddos the H1N1 vaccine...

pray for Jaymun...

i want to introduce you to a beautiful little boy, Jaymun Kaat.

the entire Kaat family is wonderful and Jaymun has walked a road with many trials but the Lord has been incredibly faithful to this little guy and his family. Jaymun was born with congenital AML (acute myeloid leukemia) and has won the battle against cancer twice in his short life ( praise God, he just turned 3 years, yeah!!!). when his mom and dad were faced with devastating news last july 08 as the cancer (second time around) was not responding to traditional treatments and doctors didn't give the Kaat family much hope beyond a few weeks, so an alternative plan was started by Jaymun's dad, Dave. this plan focused on increasing Jaymun's quality of life and to add a few extra weeks to his life, but it became so much more. Dave had been researching for months the use of supplements and herbs to cure Jaymun's cancer, and with God's huge outpouring of grace, miracles have been seen in Jaymun's recovery. that's right, natural medicine fixed Jaymun's tummy and digestive system which had been ravaged by the chemo, and healed the problems with his brain and natural, non-toxic medicine killed off that terrible cancer and has given Jaymun an entire year that modern, traditional medicine didn't think was possible.

however, after a week or so of not feeling great and some tests, it has been revealed that the cancer is trying to come back, and this is where you come in! i am calling all prayer warriors to storm the gates of Heaven and go before the Lord with the cry to heal Jaymun from the cancer that has returned and is now in his central nervous system. the Lord has performed miracles before for this family and He can do for them again, but we as the body of Christ have to pray impudently (that means persistently, almost annoyingly not that God is annoyed with our prayers but keep knocking on the door for an answer) and believe that God is going to move in this situation. pray for wisdom and peace for Jaymun's parents, Dave and Jennifer, that the Lord will guide them in their decisions for treatment, traditional and natural protocols. pray that they will be overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord even during this trial, that they will feel the Lord moving in their situation, on their behalf.

take a minute (or more) and visit their website, http://www.jaymun.com/ to learn more about Jaymun and the Kaat family, they are updating as to how things are going right now.

more info to come later tonight in a my natural medicine post, so stay tuned!! and pray, pray, pray!!!