After attending a screening of the new film Fresh and seeing Joel Salatin and Sally Fallon speak as part of an amazing panel discussion to a standing-room only crowd at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, I never want to eat anonymous meat again. Fresh gives just enough insight into factory farming to help the…
The kind of health coverage I want
“This is why health care costs are so high,” hissed my endocrinologist when she looked at the results of the labwork my holistic physician had ordered. To her, the additional blood tests were a waste of time and money. But the information – a full, more complete picture of my thyroid levels and antibody levels–…
Halloween costume-making
Just a quick post to show that even someone without a lot of sewing skill can make a frog costume!And check out these other Green Halloween tips from my Holistic Moms Chapter.
Traditional, GFCF, and Low-Carb Eating 101
I just attended a local hospital’s women’s health expo and spoke to a diabetes nutrition educator who was horrified that I would pursue a low carb diet. “Why would you do that?” she asked. I dropped a lot of names, none of which she was familiar with. I just wrote her an email and decided…
Traditional, GFCF, and Low-Carb Eating 101
I just attended a local hospital’s women’s health expo and spoke to a diabetes nutrition educator who was horrified that I would pursue a low carb diet. “Why would you do that?” she asked. I dropped a lot of names, none of which she was familiar with. I just wrote her an email and decided…
Gym childcare: mandatory TV?
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on November 6, 2009 Gym Childcare: Mandatory TV? When a huge new gym with a low monthly fee opened a mile from my house, I was excited to try it out. During the tour, I asked about the TV in the childcare room. In my previous gym,…
More evidence about gluten’s potential harm
It took me three hours to get out of 20 miles worth of DC traffic and the rest of the 70 miles to Richmond, but I am so glad I made it to see the West End Gluten Intolerance Group’s evening presentation with two doctors and important researchers on the effect of gluten on the…
I could be a gay kid’s mom
And even if I’m not, we all suffer from homophobia and heterosexism. But I’ve been slacking on the activism that isn’t related to health issues. Well, this is. I just let myself put it in a different category. I got a phone bank call last night from GLSEN, the Gay-Lesbian Straight Education Network. I used…
Boy Wants Feedback
I have an alter-ego. Her name is Ms. Moo. She is our son’s bathtime towel, a black and white hooded number I got at Target going on two years ago. The other day, when my son knew he was being annoying, he asked, “What’s Ms. Moo saying?” It was like he wanted to give me…
Mama’s nose
Where did that glass door come from? I could have sworn it was open. Oh, that’s just another piece of glass there for show? Right. Thanks. My nose and its new scar really appreciate the optical illusion. “But why wasn’t there a doorknob?” my son asked when I explained why I had a cut on…
TV-free month
After a summer of moving and letting the light box run for way too long so I could make food or unpack something or wait on hold on my cellphone trying to get our phone and internet connected, I was really hoping to cut the cord to the TV once school started. For crying out…
Balancing action with rest
I had a fabulous week last week of attending three (partial) days of the NVIC conference and then all day of “Perinatal: A Symposium on Birth and Reproductive Rights.” But now, instead of volunteering at the Holistic Moms Network table at the Green Festival, I’m home with a slight fever. I don’t feel that bad,…
Art as birth activism
I’ve known artist Jessica Clements for a while, but it was a thrill this week to attend the symposium she organized and to see her MFA thesis exhibit of birth paintings on the campus of George Mason University, right in the middle of the Johnson Student Center. Talk about bringing art and activism to the…
Fabulous birth symposium!
I was blown away at this week’s symposium at George Mason University: “Perinatal: A Symposium on Birth Practices and Reproductive Rights” organized by MFA candidate and mother of two, Jessica Clements. There were so many great panels and talks, I hardly know where to begin. In fact, I may leave summary to a print writing…
Where are reporters when you want them?
I just attended three (partial) days of an amazing conference where doctors from around the world were presenting fascinating information, including explaining how they came to question practices they’d had for years — even decades — before something caused them to question what they were doing. There were a few camera crews, and I’m told…
Vaccine conference: Dr. Lawrence Palevsky
Seeing Dr. Lawrence Palevsky made me appreciate my pediatrician even more than I already do. The basic message of both is that we want symptoms to be expressed because they are a way for us to understand what is going on in our bodies. It’s crazy to expect kids to be well all the time….
Writing mama as citizen journalist
Today Mothering Magazine editor Peggy O’Mara spoke about the “new health journalism” at the National Vaccine Information Center’s Fourth International Public Conference. She contrasted “industrial media” — most of which is owned by only 10 companies — with digital media. I like thinking of myself as one of many “citizen journalists,” a “participant observer” reporting…
From the vaccine conference
Among the information I learned today at the National Vaccine Information Center’s Fourth International Public Conference were the following: -The majority of flu-like illnesses — 86% — are not caused by the influenza virus. The flu vaccine addresses only 14% of flu-like illnesses that are, in fact, caused by the influenza virus (as opposed to…
In another mom’s shoes: vaccine injury really happens
This post originally appeared on DC Metro Moms on October 2, 2009 In another mom’s shoes: vaccine injury really happens Imagine your 14-year-old daughter going from a competitive cheerleader with a 4.0 average to someone who has daily seizures, partial paralysis and a drug regiment of 33 pills a day. I’ve been attending the National…
Carseat driver
It was as though he knew NPR was about to run a story on texting while driving right after I dropped him off at preschool, or that the next day President Obama would ban federal employees from the practice. But honestly, I was just trying to have some fun. And I don’t think I was…