A few months back, I finally did a cheek swab test on my son to see if he did in fact inherit gluten sensitivity from me. I’d ordered the test from Enterolab almost a year earlier on the advice of Melissa Diane Smith, author of the fabulous book, Going Against the Grain. For some reason,…
Holistic Health
Jaw and hip pain
I have a friend who thought she had an ear infection but instead was told by a D.O. that she has TMJ – jaw pain. I mentioned to her the connection between hips and the jaw but had no resources to share to back me up. I’ve heard it from numerous practitioners from dentists to…
Second spring foot soak
About a month after my first ionic foot soak (since pregnancy, since weaning), I did another. I think it looks a little less dark (less black/heavy metals) this time. But who knows if that’s good or not! Does it just mean I’m holding on instead of excreting? I’m so stressed out with showing the house…
Stress is something to let go of, too
I’d hoped that this spring season would find me happily detoxing away. I made a good start nutritionally, and I did the one dramatic foot soak. But I haven’t gotten much beyond that. We have been planning to move but had to do some unexpected negotiation after the home we want to buy got a…
Spring cleaning
I went to a great detox class the other night with Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well. She talked about ways to use nutrition to support your liver and why spring is the best and most natural time to do detox. I hadn’t realized that a “cleanse” is the most intense thing you can do…
A bra costs WHAT?
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on April 7, 2009 A bra costs WHAT? I feel like Sleeping Boobie. In 2006, I had a baby. Three years later, he weans and I find out that a nice bra costs as much as a good massage. I’m sure you can get a decent bra…
Ionic foot soak
So, now that my son has weaned, I’m ready to do some detox. I tried an ionic foot bath twice the year I got pregnant. The water turned very yellow both times — like egg yolk. I heard at the time that this was connected to hormone issues. Last week I tried it again, and…
You don’t have to breastfeed, and we don’t have to be best friends, either
So there’s another big to-do about breastfeeding with the publication of Hanna Rosin’s article, “The Case Against Breastfeeding.” There are debates/opinions all over the email list on DC Urban Moms and I’m sure every other moms list out there. I’ve looked over a few posts, but I’m blogging to say that I’m kind of sick…
When Round Two is with Baby #1
this post originally appeared on February 19, 2009 on DC Metro Moms When Round Two is with Baby #1 Haven’t I been here before? Nursing all day long on the couch, my arm falling asleep as I try to hold a book underneath a head and sleeping body. My breasts aching for a break. My…
Dropping some silver on supplements
I just spent $132 at the Vitamin Shoppe. Wow. My husband has an eardrum that has been ruptured for over 48 hours and still hurts a lot. I bought some tea, colloidal silver supplement and nasal spray, grapefruit seed extract ear drops and nasal spray, some probiotic (on sale), calendula tincture (seemed like a good…
“Feed me” said the Fever
I’ve always intended to learn more about both homeopathy and herbalism, but I don’t get serious about either until an illness prompts me to drag out some books and to poke around online. When my son woke the other night before 9:30, we could tell something was off. He’d had a small cough and looked…
Taking a Fall
Two weeks ago, I fell taking a step onto a neighbor’s basement stairs. My foot just slipped on the carpet and I was about to bounce down the stairs on my bottom. Having sprained my ankle in September 2007 two weeks before I was going to run a half-marathon, I was determined not to let…
Mama Wants to Run
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on January 7, 2009 Mama Wants to Run It was going to be a glorious new beginning: turning a corner in parenting, relationships, and commitment to health. I’d registered with a friend to run the Labor Day Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half-Marathon. Our husbands would watch…
When needs diverge
I am being pulled in opposing directions. Now, my wanting to do several things at once is not a new thing, I freely admit. However, I was starting to feel good about the idea of going to bed early in order to get up early and do yoga or work out and write before my…
Body Ecology Diet’s List of 29 Healthy Things to Do
I get e-newsletters from the Body Ecology Diet from time to time. The most recent one contained a list called “29 Most Important Things You Can Do to Improve Your Health in 2009“. There are, as you would expect, several specific nutrition recommendations, like adding in fermented foods and eliminating sugar, but I like that…
Happy and healthy Halloween
This year’s Halloween was a great day with crisp air and squeaky clean blue skies. I’m happy to say that, at two and a half years old, my son had a blast without having any clue that Halloween and candy have anything to do with one another. Here’s what we did: 9:00 Parade at school…
Acupunture and Cupping for Tight Muscles
My neck and shoulders used to hurt all the time. Long before I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease (autoimmune hyperthyroidism) or celiac disease, my health problems manifested in a more physical way. I’ve had some issues on and off since my son was born, especially when I was wearing him in a sling all day,…
New vaccine book and info
In the next few weeks, I intend to highlight some of what I got out of the Holistic Moms Network national conference in more detail. For now, though I want to at least mention what an inspiring and yet frightening talk I heard from the founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, Barbara Loe Fisher….
Let that fever go
After my son’s first illness in a while, I’m so glad I’m still nursing and that we can still create a family bed. Last night my son said he had a “stomachbake,” and he clearly had some gas, but he fell asleep fairly easily around 7:30. Then, when he woke at 9:00 p.m. crying, I…
Internal Egg Hunt
“I’m helping you take your temperature, Mom,” said my two-year-old son as he reached for the thermometer on the dresser. A 7:00 a.m. reading of 98.5 after a few days of similarly elevated readings seemed to indicate that I’d ovulated for the first time since he was born, 28.5 months ago. I hadn’t been charting…