Last post.....

OK so I should be packing or cleaning or making some sort of list but I am not. Our sitter just called to say goodbye since it was rather chaotic when she left today and she won't see me for a few days. So we got to talking (imagine that...) and we came upon the topic of the flu vaccine. I quickly referred to the Dr. Mercola article I linked to in a previous post. As I read some of the comments on the posts, I found a link to an AWESOME site from a fellow industrious mom that I had to pass on before I forgot about it.

She talks about making her own elderberry syrup, which will be next on my list of to do's once I get home and settled again. She also talks about making her own Kombucha, which I am pleased to report we are already doing!!! I delegated this to the hubby as he used to brew beer many moons ago. Since the process of fermentation is similar I figured this would be right up his ally and I need to delegate more these days anyway. Like a good fellow, he promptly joined a Yahoo! group and got a SCOBY or Kombucha baby from a person here in Tempe. A SCOBY is the starter you need to make your own kombucha. Now we have a science experiment like the one shown in the link below in our kitchen. Here it is: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/AHappyHome/300159/

But I love Kombucha and more than the taste I love what it is doing to my body, cell renewal, tons of great vitamins and probiotics! I am stocked with Kombucha for the trip to San Diego. I leave tomorrow morning and come home sometime Monday. Unfortunately I won't have time to play since the conference is everyday from 8 - 5 and then there are classes in the evenings which I am signed up for. I cannot wait to fill my brain with more info though.

On a side note, the house is done being painted, at least the outside! The inside is still a work in progress as with two kids, a house to run, cooking, cleaning and preparing for a trip, our time to paint is limited. But, the outside looks awesome, love it!! And I love that we hired someone to do it and did not try and tackle it ourselves. That is why it is done and not still in process.

We started Matthew on L-Carnitine this weekend. Shortly after he began to smell of rotten fish. There is a genetic disorder where you smell like rotting fish due to a missing enzyme. This can also be caused by high doses of L-Carnitine. Well, I guess we know what is causing it. I need to email Dr. Woeller tonight, I will see him at the conference too. Meanwhile, no more L-Carnitine for Matthew.

Emma saw me starting to get my clothes together for the trip last night. She asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to Mommy school with Dr. Woeller and Dawn (Matthew's speech therapist). She asked me if I was going to miss her.....she is just so darn CUTE! My little doll....I sure am going to miss both of them.

OK so off of here and back to work! I have so much to do and the night is getting away from me. Eric is at Wal-Mart picking up pictures I had printed today to bring with me to show off to folks at the conference and also to give to my dad whom I will be staying with. Eric is also picking up the last minute stuff I need for the trip out. I need to be packing and getting all my stuff together that I want to bring, clean up, send that email to Dr. Woeller and then some quiet time with Eric hopefully. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend and I am sure I will have lots to share when I come back next week!!

Another reason againts flu vaccines

I just got this today and wanted to post it quickly. Here is something from Dr. Mercola's website talking about all the same stuff I have said about flu vaccines, including the real motive being missed days of work/school. I hope the reputable Dr. Mercola can sway those of you still thinking about getting a flu vaccine, especially for your kids. Click below:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-shots-vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

Halloween treats....

Today was Matthew's day to bring snack to share with the class. As usual I sent pure, unsweetened applesauce and popcorn. Only this time, in honor of Halloween next week, I put the popcorn in gloves, added a spider ring and viola! Skeleton hands...You can also add in a candy corn for the finger nails but I chose not to. These are great treats for Halloween parties, school events, etc. where you want to have a yummy and healthy treat. Remember my previous blog about the Whirly Pop popper? Use organic corn and coconut oil and you have a super healthy treat that kids will LOVE. You could even through in some sugar for kettle corn or as my friend/fellow blogger/neighbor Shari does, add some cinnamon for great flavor. The possibilities are endless. So, although the kids will inevitably get loaded up on sugar and corn syrup next Friday (and probably the next week even) there are fun and healthy alternatives.

Krazy for Kombucha

In reading Julie Matthew's book Nourishing Hope, she talks a lot about beneficial food for children on the Autism spectrum and all of us really. At some point in food evolution, we've lost the use of many of the fermented foods that have been used for centuries. These foods are very healing. One such food is Kombucha, really it is a drink. The benefits are staggering. It helps protect against almost every tummy bug out there (e.Coli, Listeria, H. Pylori, Salmonella, etc). It helps with detoxification, the immune system, can help fight cancer, etc. I had to run to Whole Foods yesterday anyways so I picked some up. The kids did drink it!! No fight even!! Read more about it here:

http://healthfulliving.org/recipes/insights/fermented.php

I am not sure if I am industrious enough to try and make it myself but it is pricey, $3+ per bottle (16 ounces). And I am going to start drinking it everyday too. So there is my new favorite. Do some of your own research and give it a try!!

On another note, sorry for the lack of posts. We've started the big painting project last weekend and are still trying to find the time to finish. We have to work around the kids so it is taking longer than hoped since we have to wait until they are asleep to get working. We are having the outside of the house painted Monday and then I leave for the DAN! Conference on Thursday and will be gone until Monday. Plus with it being Fall Break I am just trying to keep the kids from going crazy by setting up playdates, and of course all of Matthew's therapies. Today is our super busy day with speech and then hab preschool. So, I may be even more sporadic on posts than usual because of the increased activity. We still need to hit the pumpkin patch tomorrow since I will be gone next weekend. How can it be October already?? I hope YOUR fall is going well.

Naturopath info

Mary requested the info on our Naturopath so here it is for everyone if you are in the Gilbert/Mesa/Chandler or surrounding areas and want a great Naturopath. We see Dr. Carrie Rittling at East Valley Naturopathic Doctors. Their info is as follows:

http://www.eastvalleynd.com/
480-985-0000

They are located just east of Higley and Southern. Across the street from Sprouts and east just a bit. They are great, have always been able to get us in quickly when necessary and their receptionist is on the ball, VERY friendly and follows up great. They even submit your insurance claim for you in some cases. You still must pay them and then get reimbursed (as allowed) by your plan but it takes one thing out of a trip to an out of network doctor.

So there you have it. You can read about all the doctors on their website. My husband just recently saw Dr. Porter and really liked him. He focuses on men's health issues. My husband took all of Matthew's labs in to discuss testing him for some of the same things, knowing that many of Matthew's issues are genetic in nature. The doctor was impressed with the cutting edge tests that were run on Matthew which made us feel good about Dr. Woeller for yet ANOTHER reason. He should be getting his results this week and see what the doctor recommends. Dr. Rittling focuses on children, specifically those on the Autism/ADHD spectrum but she also sees our neurotypical Emma. Both kids love her (they never get shots there, lol). And she is great with kids. Hope that helps, we just love that office and hope you find value in them as well. Please let me know how your visit goes!

BTW - Mary, we need to get the kids together. Emma misses her little friend!!!! I hear the Joy School is going well.....

Plastics revisited

I am pretty sure I posted about this, if not I fully intended to. Here is a GREAT article on toxic chemicals in plastics from Dr. Mercola's website. If you scroll down you will even find a link that is a PDF document that gives a GREAT overview of products that do or do not contain this toxin.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/11/what-the-chemical-industry-doesn-t-want-you-to-know-about-everyday-products.aspx?source=nl

It is very interesting to me that the article discusses the immune system and the role of T1 and T2 cells. After reading Jacqueline McCandless' book Children With Starving Brains, I learned more about the immune component to Autism. And, the explanation in this article is very, very close to what has happened in many children with Autism systems. Hmmmmm......maybe yet another connection. So, turn those plastic bowls over and check out those numbers. I did this a few years ago and got rid of ALL the bad stuff. I was very pleased to see that Tupperware (for the most part) was OK. Their Rock N Serve stuff was not good and I remember wondering why they suggest you cook at 50% power and now it makes sense. When you heat these plastics with the bad stuff in them (through microwave or dishwasher) it makes the toxins leak. So, that must be why Tupperware suggested to only heat at 50% power. I used to sell Tupperware, I started right after Matthew was born. At least I didn't have to get rid of all my stuff, just the Rock N Serve. But, I have gone with more glass and even switched to Corelle plates/bowls since you have to be careful even about painted ceramic dishes because of lead (and the high breakage rate). And there is a Corelle outlet close by! :) But all the bottles we used had the bad stuff and we used to steam sterilize those and also dishwasher them. Man, I wish I knew all this stuff years ago.....So, check your cupboards for the bad plastics and get them out. We can all benefit from less toxins, especially in the stuff that holds our food.

Heirloom seeds

Here is a site I found for Heirloom seeds. It says on their site that they are all open pollenated and non genetically modified (yeah!!). They even have a medicinal herb package - we can experiment with the actual herbs Shari! Before long we will be making our own essential oils huh? We will be the medicine women of Higley Groves, lol.

I have never purchased from this company but do intend to. If anyone does before me, please let me know how your experience goes!! Lets get those gardens going!! :)

http://www.heirloomseeds.com/

Great video......

When you have time (it is over 30 minutes) please check out this video from Dr. Mercola's website.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/07/world-s-most-evil-company-debates-michael-pollan-at-google.aspx?source=nl

I had to keep hitting pause and stretched this out over several days to find time to watch it all. But, HUGELY important. This is a discussion with Hugh Grant the CEO of Monsanto and Michael Pollan author of "In Defense of Food". If you don't know who Monsanto is, please find out! This is the biggest threat to our food supply. They started as a chemical company (creating agent orange and Round Up). They then moved into seed production and made the first "Round Up Ready" seed. Round Up kills anything green and yet these plants are genetically engineered to resist Round Up. Yuck. And they discuss the production of the main crops (soy and corn for feed). Our dependance on meat is also a huge drain on our grain supply.

A few takeaways......TRY to look for NON-Genetically Modified (GMO) foods. GMO corn produces inflammation in our system plus all the pesticides, etc. and we do not know the long term effects of genetically modified food. Try and be more aware of how your food is created. We have probably all planted a seed and watched it grow. Then when we eat the fruit or veggie you can take that seed and make a new plant from it. Not with Monsanto seed. It is engineered NOT to reproduce after that first time so that farmers must buy new seed each year. This is all about money and production whereas I think we need to eat less but eat mindfully and locally. That means eating what is in season and supporting your local farmer's market or CSA.

I have no answers for the world crisis. It seems amazing in this day and age of extreme wealth of the select few that we can still have some areas in such dire poverty and famine. It is pretty ridiculous actually. I am not going to get polictical because I want this blog to be as bi-partisan as possible and not alienate people. But, if you are a McCain supporter urge him to force labeling of GMO products. He is currently the only candidate that does not support mandatory labeling of GMO foods. I think it should be mandatory, I think the next step is mandatory labeling of all 200 forms of MSG as well. We should KNOW what we are eating dangerous chemicals and what they do to our brains and then make the choice to eat it or not. So many people have no clue what it is they are eating. Part of that is education and part of that is transparency. If these products DO the same thing yet are not called Mono Sodium Glutamate the packaging can read "NO MSG". That is unfair and deceitful, which kind of goes along with the government way but that is another topic.

It was amazing to hear how many seed varieties we once had and how many we have now. We need to move away from GMO crops and get back to basics. I urge everyone to think about creating their own raised bed gardening and using heirloom seeds. I will post some sources here sometime soon, along with sources for local, quality grass fed beef and turkeys. We have to fight for our right to basic, healthy food. I do not want "Franken-Food". Sometimes more isn't always better.

Food for thought.....

Practice what you preach....

So, I got to do this last week, practice what I preach I mean. I got sick (as expected) after a few too many nights of burning the midnight oil to get "everything" done. I could feel it coming. So a week ago Thursday I was down. I did mega vitamin C doses, eucalyptus, tea tree and thyme oil steams, epsom salt foot baths, other supplements for viral support and stuck to good foods and lots of sleep! I did have that luxury, which I know many don't. The day was pretty easy for my husband and he was able to take Matthew to his therapy and our awesome sitter/surrogate family member was able to watch Emma for me so I could get a nap. Then I went to bed at 7 pm after the kids were down. By the next day I felt SO much better. Had I pushed through Thursday, I would have been sick for days. Sleep is my achilles heel. If I start losing sleep, my immune system takes a BIG hit. I know this and yet I still scrimp on sleep. I guess my lesson is to listen to my body, ignore those last few chores or that nonsense show on TV and hit the sack!

More on "health"

I was thinking last night as I crawled in to bed too late that I should also mention a few things. Health is an interesting concept because we assume it is always a bad thing to get sick. We miss work/school/chores, we feel awful and then usually we pass it around too. But, our immune system is a dynamic force, going up and down depending on our state of health including sleep, nutrition, stress, etc. So, when we start running ourselves down (too much stress, not sleeping right, not getting exercise and a diet filled with empty calories and sugar) we are setting ourselves up for illness. No magic bullet (or shot in this case) will cure that. And, even if you DO the right things, you may still get sick. I know, no one WANTS to get sick. But, the way your body responds to threats is how it gets stronger. And on the flip side, a person who NEVER gets sick should be concerned too. That could mean your system is so overwhelmed that it is not responding properly to threats. And, people who get sick all the time could mean that your system is on overload and is reponding to any and all threats that come its way. What I have noticed is that when I use homeopathy, supplements, rest, etc. at the first sign of illness I can rebound within a few days rather than my usual course of sore throat, then the mucous/running nose/sneezing, then it moves into my chest and I am awake coughing for a week, etc. I end up stopping the bug at the sore throat phase with early intervention and natural medicine. Before, it ALWAYS progressed, and in the same manner each time. But, am I guaranteed not to get the full blown flu? No way. But, the more diligent I am about my diet, stress management, supplements when the bugs are more prevalent, etc. the more likely it will be milder if I do get it. I know when I am fighting something because I am EXHAUSTED. That level of "I could just lay down at 10 am for a nap" exhausted. And that is what ideally I should do, take a nap. But, listening to my body is not always what I do. But, it gives us hints about what its threat level is. That fatigue could be telling you that you are fighting a bug and it needs more rest to fight appropriately. What we need to understand as a society we are ALL exposed to things all day everyday, unless you are an agoraphobe and stay inside your home, never bringing things in. And usually our system is strong enough to fight things off which is why it never progresses.

And, mental state/attitude has a lot to do with level of health. I know it sounds corny but how you look at things DOES impact how you feel. Do you know any "Eeyore" types? The doom and gloom people, woe is me, and often times they are sick or have chronic conditions that ail them. Now one could reverse that and say maybe it is the ailment/chronic condition that makes them so gloomy. But, it would be an interesting experiment to see if changing their attitudes would change their health. So, maintaining health should be a multipronged approach with focus on many aspects of your life. Balance is key. And I know personally, that is very hard. Life is busy. But, I think many times we need to refocus on what is truly important. Recently I made a decision to get less involved in my community. That has been something I have been passionate about from day 1 of moving here. But, lately it has been a drain dealing with others' negative attitudes. Plus with the additional work with Matthew's DAN! protocol and more research to do and more things to learn, I just realized THAT is where my focus (and limited free time) has to be. Put the energy where your heart is and my heart is my family. So, that means scaling back some things so I can fit some other things in that I love, yoga, training for another triathlon, scrapbooking, crafting, etc. Now even though I will be less involved I will still be involved, just not to the level I once was because I still care about our community. But, my main focus has to be my husband, kids and their education and health and of course ME. The person who usually gets forgotten in the equation. But, as cold and flu season begins, more me time could mean less down time if I do focus some of that energy and care on myself. It is an interesting experiment, one that I plan to try and implement this year. We'll see what happens. Besides, who has time to get sick, moms don't get days off anyways! :)

Chalk another one up to NATURAL medicine

Wow, sorry folks, it has been so long since I have posted. It has been busier than ever around here. Matthew's DAN! protocol is going GREAT with success being seen in evey area of his life ~ including potty training which we are immersed in right now! He's doing GREAT at school, still in the integrated class 100% and participating without an aide assigned to him. He is affectionate, telling us how much he loves us and very engaged in activities. He also celebrated his 5th birthday this month which he was SO excited about. This is the first real birthday where he was thrilled to have people over, understood the concept and was excited about cake and presents. We had a minor catastrophy with the GFCGSF dye free, hydrogenated oil free cake that required total redo of the frosting and mommy meltdown for a moment but we rebounded and it all came out great! Eric also celebrated a birthday (his last in the 30's, hahaha) so it has been busy at the Hirning house. Matthew also started Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). It is an immune system modulator which blocks opiate receptors. He had a week of feeling awful and hyperactivity but he has leveled out now. And he's missed the ick going through our house because hopefully his immune system is more robust than ever.

Poor Emma, this weekend she was complaining of a sore throat. It was bordering on me taking her to *gasp* urgent care. I could just see how that visit would have went. But, we limped her along until yesterday (giving her tylenol for the first time in well, I can't remember the last time we gave her anything for pain) and I got her in to see her naturopath. It was viral and not strep, more than likely the Adenovirus that had decided to settle in her throat (its definitely going around). Once I found out it was viral, we added in Vitamin A (4 drops), Virastop and Olive Leaf extract and VSC (another viral immune support supplement I got from my Chriopractor) and off for a nap she went. When she woke she complained of a tummy ache. I was on the phone with the naturopath discussing the type of elderberry syrup we had for dosing instructions. The naturopath said we may have given her too many things at once = tummy ache and to just back off and see what happens as elderberry can cause nausea. But, after a small snack and then some homemade chicken noodle soup, her beautiful smile had returned!!! We still went forward with vitamin C and some more OLE and Virastop at bedtime. This morning not ONE WORD about the sore throat that was making eating and drinking difficult for the whole weekend. Could it be coincidence that right after I give her antivirals she is better? Maybe her body just finally fought it off. Maybe all the stuff we did (including the use of essential oils) gave her body the edge it needed to fight back. But, no antibiotics (which would not have worked anyways) and no pressure to get the FLU SHOT which is starting to come.....dun dun dun. I am always amazed to see the body rebound like it does. Extra fluids, sleep, supplements & good nutrition = the prescription you need for probably 90% of ills.

Speaking of ills, I JUST saw the push for the flu vaccine start on the news. They have changed the recommendation on who should get the flu vaccine and they have broadened the age gap for kids. Basically 6 mo - 18 years "should" get the flu shot. Remember folks, the flu vaccine STILL has the mercury preservative that has been removed from childhood vaccines because of its neurotoxicity. Why is it bad in childhood vaccines but not in the flu shot???? We stay away from the flu vaccine. When your body gets the onslaught of crud in the vaccine it has to work hard to clean it out (if your body's detox system is working well). That can actually lower your immunity which then leaves you susceptible to other bugs which is why some people report getting sick after the vaccine. And, there is no guarantee it will be the strain of virus you get, they take a big guess when they make up the year's batch. Your best bet is this:

~ GOOD NUTRITION - lots of whole foods, veggies, fruit, high quality meats and dairy if you so choose (speaking of, the farmer's market now carries a limited supply of RAW cheese, YIPPEE all the good stuff if you ARE going to eat cheese).
~ Good (high quality) supplements for HEALTH, not sickness - Good multivitamin if you are not sure your food is giving you all you need. Boost up your C and whatever other nutrients. I take a B for high stress and a trace minerals supplement. Other things we find helpful are Grapefruit seed extract, echinacea and probiotics for the healthy stuff to help crowd out the bad stuff.
~ Appropriate treatment when you are feeling under the weather - SLEEP, the best healing happens when you sleep. Plus there are supplements to help fight viruses regardless of what a mainstream doctor may tell you. Here are some we always keep on hand:

~Olive leaf extract
~Virastop
~VSC
~Elderberry syrup
~High dose Vitamin C - think GRAMS not milligrams, like 7 grams up to bowel tolerance. When you start having loose stools you've hit your saturation point, back it off a little from there.
~Vitamin A works great on respiratory issues. (NOTE - Vit a is fat soluble which means you CAN get too much of a good thing. You should always consult your own Dr. about the right dose for you and your family).
~Epsom salts for foot soak. Soak JUST the feet in warm epsom salts. It increases your circulation and pulls it towards your feet. That gets your lymph drainage going and moving AWAY from your head/throat/chest which is what you want to have happen.
~Essential oils such as eucalyptus and thyme and tea tree. We put a few drops of eucalyptus in the kids' humidifiers as it is a respiratory support. Great for putting in a steamy bathroom, shower or facial steamer to open those clogged sinuses. Add a little tea tree and lavender and you can even fight off sinus infections. Tea tree is like lysol but in natural form. They are even doing studies about using tea tree oil in hospitals because it even kills the HIV virus in blood products. You can make a throat rub using thyme and tea tree in some oil. Tea tree is also very effective against yeast but that is a different discussion.

OK that is enough for now, I don't blog forever and then my blogs are HUGE.

Some things coming:

~Found a few sources for organic GRASS fed beef, organic poultry (even holiday turkeys!) locally with drop offs in the east valley
~More flu and cold remedies as the season nears
~Craft ideas for Halloween and Christmas (YIPPEE)

I hope to stay more on top of my blog. Life has been crazy as usual but all great things are the Hirning house, hope it is in your house too!!

"Didn't mean to..."

With all of the changes going on in Matthew, we hear so many new concepts from him. Recently he's been doing something a little funny and yet a little annoying at the same time. His new phrase when he whacks someone, bumps them, runs over their toes with his bike (like he JUST did to Eric) or even recently when he DID intentionally push Emma, he says automatically "Didn't mean to" as if that is the cure all. And he says it like a teenager, as if what he really means is "Didn't mean to so get over it, buh byeeee.....". We both did a double take the first time he came out with this phrase. And now I am wondering if the age of duplicity has begun to set in. Prior to this, if Emma was crying and saying Matthew pushed her and I asked him he would immediate 'fess up to it. Now I think we will be hearing a lot more of "Didn't mean to...." in the house. And, I can't help but wonder where it came from. But it is another new concept and I can appreciate it on that level. I wonder what new things we will hear today.....

The ironies of life

After graduating high school, I knew what my collegiate educational path was to be, Pre Med. I chose UC Riverside for its (at the time) very high reputation for their Biomedical Sciences program. I applied and even though it was one of the toughest majors to be accepted in, I made it! So off I went to Riverside, only to really dislike the city, living away from friends and family, and dorm life. And in the meantime, going through a bout of depression, I also convinced myself that Biomed was not for me, seeing as how I was not so great at math or physics which were kind of important to my major. I switched my major to Psychology and the rest, as they say, is history. And yet today I find myself inevitably drawn back into the life of biomed, specifically as we intervene with Matthew's Autism diagnosis. It is funny how life works. I guess after all of that, I DID end up with a major in Biomed, only from the school of life and motherhood, not a university.

Here's Matthew's daily regime:

Cal/Mag citrate (2 capsules) and Sonic Cholesterol (2 capsules) with breakfast
Nystatin (1 tsp) after breakfast
Theanine (2 capsules), GABA (2 capsules) and Folinic Acid (2 capsules) in the later morning.
Culturelle (1 capsule) in the late morning
Cal/Mag citrate (2 capsules) and Sonic Cholesterol (2 capsules) with lunch
Nystatin (1 tsp) after lunch
VSL #3 (1 capsule) in the afternoon
Theanine (2 capsules) and GABA (2 capsules) in the later afternoon.
Cal/Mag citrate (2 capsules) and Sonic Cholesterol (2 capsules) with dinner
Nystatin (1 tsp) after dinner
Cod Liver Oil (1 tsp) after dinner
Culturelle (1 capsule) at bedtime

The capsules we pull apart and dissolve in juice and administer with a syringe so basically the poor guy gets doses of chalky juice several times per day. But he's a trooper. He's working on a virus right now but I hesitate to add any other supplements since his immune system is working hard to bolster itself with the help of all the probiotics and other supplements above.

However, I too have been a bit under the weather and have been able to fight it off with high dose Vit. C, liquid Vit. A (great for respiratory issues) and Olive Leaf Extract (great for fighting viruses). I thought I had it licked but after a very restless night, I woke again with a sore throat. I reached for the Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE). What is GSE? I consider it one of those miracle supplements that is a must have in our house. It really helps sore throats, upset stomachs, parasites (can clean impure drinking water and help with "montezuma's revenge" while traveling), yeast control, bladder infections, it can clean your fruits and veggies (most commerical "natural" fruit and veggie cleaners contain this), provide a natural solution to disinfecting your cutting boards and kitchen counters and the list goes on. It is safe for kids too! Here's a link for more info:

http://www.nutriteam.com/index2.html#strep

It seemed pretty pricey (to me) at about $11.99 for a very small bottle (a few ounces). It is in a glycerine base and seriously, you use just DROPS for effective treatment. We've been using the same bottle for a couple of years now and just need a new one now, pretty cost effective if you ask me! It is also a great general immune booster. And don't let the name scare you, if you are on statin drugs or any others that have contraindications for grapefruits or other citrus fruits, this is totally safe to take!! It is made from the SEED, not the actual fruit so it will not interfere. Although at the risk of offending, I would encourage anyone on a statin drug to try other means for controlling high cholesterol. Statins weaken muscles. One reason you need to lower cholesterol is for heart health. Well, the heart is a muscle. But that is a whole other discussion.

So, check out GSE, especially with school starting back up, sore throats, strep and tummy bugs coming our way. This is precious in our house and hopefully you will find it helpful in yours!

Matthew's update

So, after our trip to see Dr. Woeller in June, we've had "homework" to do. We've had to do lab work and start our Methyl B-12 shots. We actually bumped up the shots to every other day instead of every 3 days. That is going very well. Anyways, we got all of Matthew's labs done and the results came in a couple of weeks ago. We had our follow up call on Thursday to go over everything. As expected, Matthew has yeast, clostridia bacteria, and some viral exposure, both recent and long term. Dr. Woeller said Matthew has leaky gut and leaky brain. Basically the immune system is fighting his own body and he has brain inflamation. And his gut is not able to break down all the proteins in the food he eats so the large undigested proteins wreak havoc on his body and brain. He was also high in oxalates. Those are the things that bind with calcium and eventually can form the crystals that cause kidney stones. Oxalates can come from food (spinach, peanuts/peanut butter, and a whole host of other foods), can be a by-product of yeast or can be produced as a result of a genetic defect. Matthew's seems to be from yeast and food. We were recommended to put him on a low oxalate diet which will further restrict his food choices. Here's the run down on the treament plan: Treat yeast with Nystatin (probably for about 3 months), after starting Nystatin for 3 days then add Flagyl for the Clostridia bacteria. 3 days later add in VSL #3 as a heavy duty probiotic to help the good bacteria take control of his gut again. 3 days later add in culterelle, another probiotic that also is good at fighting the clostridia bacteria as well. 3 days later add in Theanine and then 3 days later start GABA, both for anxiety. 3 days later add in Cal/Mag citrate to help bind the remaining oxalates so the body can get rid of them and then finally add in Sonic Cholesterol since Matthew had low cholesterol and did show an intolerance to eggs. On top of this we are to cut back on high oxalate foods, that process can cause some negative behavioral effects as his body "dumps" the stored oxalates. Plus we will be having yeast die off when we start Nystatin which can be ugly too. It should be interesting. I am just so excited to have a plan and start. And the great news is that none of Matthew's issues were genetic in nature. He probably has a mitochondrial dysfunction though. The mitochondria are the power houses of the cell. What they have shown in the Hannah Poling case is that because she had a "rare" mitochondrial disorder, she was predisposed to injury from her vaccinations and that caused her autism. What the vaccine companies are trying to say is that hers was a very rare case. But what doctors are finding is that mitochindrial dysfunction (not disorder) is actually more common than it should be today. You are only supposed to have this problem due to genetics, meaning mom/dad have this too. What they are seeing is more kids on the spectrum have mitochondrial problems WITHOUT mom or dad having them too. Something in our environment is changing their mitochondrial function and structure. So, bottom line is Matthew's gut and brain are messed up with yeast, bacteria and viruses. But we will be working hard to fix him. And, there is great prognosis for getting these things taken care of. It could be interesting in the next month but we will get through.

Amanda Peet vs. Jenny McCarthy

So maybe you've heard about the latest celebrity feud. Is this one about who wore which dress on the red carpet first or who stole who's boyfriend? Not this time, it is about the very important topic of vaccines and children. Jenny McCarthy has a son who had been diagnosed with Autism. She researched and found ways to help her son and thankfully he is recovered. But he is just one of many children who seemed to regress shortly after a routine vaccine. Jenny is passionate about the issue of vaccine safety and brings to light all the chemicals in vaccines (including Aluminum and Formaldehyde which I HAVE read on vaccine ingredients lists). Amanda Peet on the other hand has one child, a girl, who does not have Autism and she is just as passionately in favor of vaccines.I was on the fence with this topic, even after we knew something was amiss with Matthew. I never noticed regression persey with vaccines but I knew that as of his 4 months shots, the child would not sleep regularly again from that day forward. In hindsight, that should have been a warning sign.Do I think vaccines are the root of all evil? No. Do I think they are 100% to blame for Matthew's issues? No. But, I think they are one piece in a very large puzzle of immune health and neurological development and disorder. I admire both women for their passion and their desire to speak up for what they believe in. Now, having said that, I personally think Amanda Peet need to sit down and shut up. Until you HAVE a child who gets the diagnosis of Autism and YOU wrack your brain trying to figure out what is going on and DO the research about what causes it in YOUR child, you cannot DARE call parents who choose not to vaccinate parasites as she did in a Cookie magazine interview. When I think of the various things we vaccinate our children against these days (chicken pox for example) that we did not when I was young, I think why is it so bad that they get that??? They actually are not 100% guaranteed not to get the virus just because of the vaccine and later in life that immunity wears off, leaving you more susceptible since the virus is more harmful as you get older (especially in men). Sometimes I think we care too much about how much time kids spend out of school ill because that is what this new vaccine schedule means to me. The schools miss out on too much money so lets try and vaccinate against "normal" childhood illnesses that serve to build immunity. That could be a very simplified view but it is mine so there it is. NJ is doing something similar with the flu shot, they are MANDATING flu vaccines for children because working single moms would miss too much work if their kids are sick. The flu vaccine still has the mercury component in it. That is dangerous and irresponsible to force that on all children just because of one demographic. I am not saying I am against ALL vaccines. But, if your child is one in 150 that will have Autism and you don't know whether they will react badly to vaccines.....it is much harder to fix his neurological system and gut than to nurse him/her through the flu, whooping cough or chicken pox.I guess what I am saying is for someone who has NOT been touched by Autism, someone who has not cried tears of rage, frustration, confusion and sadness at what this disorder does to children and families should not be calling parents who choose not to potentially further damage their children names. Our recent tests with Matthew shows he has high levels of aluminum, a common ingredient in vaccines. These kiddos often have a tough time getting rid of the toxins so jamming more in just seems like the wrong thing to do to me. But, I have something to say to Ms. Peet. I too rode on a high horse once. I too thought I knew it all. I too believed in the AAP and the government to protect me. That was before I was a mom and I thought I knew it all. I then was given the gift of a child with Autism. It opened my eyes to what we are doing to ourselves, our planet and most importantly our children. Then I began to understand the depth of the pharmaceutical business and how keeping people ill and forcing drugs on us is very, very profitable to all involved (including doctors). Now my immediate response is not to vaccinate against all diseases. With Matthew, that stopped at 3 years old. With Emma that stopped temporarily at 18 months. We may choose to continue to vaccinate her once she is older and has a stronger immune system, the jury is still out. But, until you walk in someone's shoes who believes that vaccines are even a part of the cause for their child having Autism, you shouldn't condescend to know what is right for every child. Like breastfeeding, co-sleeping and discipline just to name a few, certain decisions should be each family's to make. Just because you are a celebrity and have access to a camera does not mean you have the right to tell others (who's lives and struggles you know NOTHING about) that they are parasitic if they choose not to vaccinate. Shame on you. She quotes vaccines need the "herd" immunity. Well Ms. Peet, maybe the herd is running in the wrong direction.