Be Aware of What Your Doctor Prescribes

This post came about because of a simple bug bite my friend got on the top of her foot. I don’t want to make anyone fearful of doctors or modern medicine; because I know everyday both help thousands of people. But I want everyone to be more aware of what their doctors are prescribing. Make sure you research the drug before you take it!

Two weeks ago, my friend discovered a small bite on the top of her foot. Each day that passed it got worse and worse. So she went in to see a physician to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. He first told her that it was not a bug bite. Which wasn’t true, since she saw it from the beginning, as did I, and it was clearly a bite. He then told her it was an allergic reaction, possibly poison ivy, and put her on Claritin and Cephalexin (an antibiotic used to fight bacterial infections) AND a topical anti-itch cream called Tridesilon. After being on this cocktail for a few days, without the condition of the bite improving, but still getting worse, she made a follow-up appointment. He then put her on ANOTHER drug! This time a steroid pill called Medrol (aka. methylprednisolone), to help with the inflammation. She felt uncomfortable taking this drug without seeking a second opinion. So she made yet another appointment with a physician that works at her office. That doctor told her that it was fine to take the steroid and she should go ahead and do so.

After talking with me, and a lot of diligent research on my end, she decided she’d like to try a more natural approach to healing this problem. So we went to the local Great Earth store. She was given Black Ointment. This is a natural drawing agent that is used to draw the poison out of the skin. It has even been known to draw out skin cancer! She is currently on this topical, natural treatment and it seems to be going well (although she’s only been on it for about 24 hours).

What I want you to take from this is that doctors are not the be-all end-all of your medical treatment. Do not go to a doctor and blindly take any or all of the medications you are prescribed without researching them first. Medrol can be a very strong drug. You must taper off of it to avoid withdrawal symptoms. It is toxic to you body and increases your risk of infections. Essentially what it does is attack your white blood cells and keeps them from going to the wound and healing it (this also keeps the wound from swelling). But the funny part is that Medrol is corticosteroids, which are naturally produced by the adrenal gland. So your body should create this for you to fight off the inflammation. All you have to do is give it time.

So be careful out there when you take drugs. Whether they are prescription or over the counter, both can be dangerous. Do your research and look out for yourself and especially for your children.

Diapers for Sensitive Skin

Apparently all diapers are not the same. My son, who is 5 months old, has eczema. He’s had it since he was 8 weeks old. When we first saw the doctor about his eczema, the first thing the doctor said was to get him into a different brand of diapers ( I was currently using Pampers Swaddlers). He showed me that diaper he was currently wearing was causing irritation, leaving little red dots all around his skin where the diaper had been. He told me to try every brand to see which suits my baby best.

Well that advice isn’t very cost-effective. Buying every brand of diapers would be insane. My parents had bought Luvs, so I tried those and they seemed to work but every now and then he would still break out.  So I’ve been on a search to find a better diaper for quite some time now.

I’ve been reading all sorts of research, books, articles, etc. about eczema, especially in babies. One of the things I see over and over is that children these days are super-clean so their immune system isn’t able to repel things like it used to (like in the good ‘ol days) and they are exposed to chemicals from day one (which didn’t happen in the good ‘ol days).

There are chemicals everywhere…which I’ll blog more about later on. In reference to this post though, there are toxic chemicals in diapers and babies wear diapers 24/7. So I’ve been looking for safe, chemical and toxin free diapers and I’ve found them: gDiapers.

Here’s why:
“The outer material of flushables is viscose rayon, a natural polymer that comes from trees. It is the only polymer used in the textile industry that comes from a natural, renewable and non-fossil fuel source. It is both compostable and flushable. The fabric has a stay dry feel, which keeps your baby happy. The contents of the flushable are made of soft, fluffed wood pulp and super absorber. Like the outer material, the inside of the flushable comes from sustainably managed forests using anelemental-chlorine-free (ECF) process.” They go on to describe one of the other ingredients: ”SAP stands for super absorber. A.K.A. sodium polyacrylate. SAP are the small crystals mixed with soft, fluffed wood pulp that make up the contents of the flushable. It is an amazing material, able to absorb up to 100 times it’s weight in water. SAP is proven to be safe and effective by over 400 studies, and most recently was given the ”two thumbs up” from MBDC, the leading US based design chemistry firm. MBDC gave the SAP in our gDiaper flushables the chemical rating ”green”, which is the safest assessment a chemical or material can receive. It is found in most disposable diapers and feminine hygiene products, safe for humans and harmless to the environment.”

All of this translates into a diaper that helps my baby’s extra-dry skin breathe and be healthy. The only downside is that they aren’t great a nights, at least for me. Instead we use Seventh Generation Diapers, which are chlorine free, for bed time.

With the new diaper system, I have a happy boy with no irritating red bumps showing up on his skin!

Check them out yourself: www.gDiapers.com

Note: They come in extra cute colors and the inside padding can be flushed down the toliet.

Feeding a Baby without Chemicals

In my quest to find ways to remove as much , if not all, chemicals from my baby’s feeding process I have found feeding accessories that I’m currently using or I’m so excited to use.

Chemical-free Feeding Accessories:

Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Glass Bottles – I use the glass bottles – that way there is no question if chemicals will seep into the baby’s milk.

Fresh Baby: Baby Food & Breast Milk Trays – They contain no PVC, Bisphenol-A or Plasticizer.

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Boon Feeding Accessories – Phthalate-free, PVC-free, BPA-free

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Luna/Clif Sport: Healthy Sports Products

My never-ending battle may just have ended… I finally went on a serious hunt to find healthy, organic, products for athletes. So this would include gels, electrolyte mixers, chews, bars, etc. I happened upon a wall of items at Scheel’s and then stood there for 30 minutes staring, reading labels, smushing packages, checking out flavor options, etc. I was fairly discouraged until I happened upon the Luna brand products, which are made by Clif. Both Luna and Clif have some really amazing products, but you still have to read the labels.

The three products I purchased were the Luna Moon Energy Chews, Clif Shot Energy Gel, and the Luna Electrolyte Splash Drink Mix. These products are are 100% USDA Organic, 90% Organic, and 80% Organic, respectively. Here are the ingredients for those products.

Luna Sport: Moons Energy Chews

Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup Solids, Pectin, Citric Acid, Colored with Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Asorbic Acid (vid. C), Organic Sunflower Oil, Carnauba Wax, Palmitate (vit. A), Tocopheryl Succinate (vit. E).

Clif Shot Energy Gel

Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic apple Juice Concentrate, Organice and Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Potassium, Citrate, Citric Acid, Magnesium Oxide.

Luna Electrolyte Splash Drink Mix

Organice Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Natural Flavor, Colored with Vegetable Juice Concentrate. Vitamins & Minerals: Magnesium Gluconate, Calcuim Lactate, Citric Acid, Sea Salt, Potassium Phosphate, Choline, Asorbic Acid (vit. C), Vitamine E Acetate, Niacinamide (vit. B3), Ferrous Fumarate (Iron), Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine HCL (vit. B6), Thiamin (vit. B1), Riboflavin (vit. B2), Cyanocobalamin (vit. B12), Folic Acid. (please forgive me if I misspelled any of those.. that was rough).

So anyway, I just wanted to get the word out there that there is a company who chooses to not use high fructose corn syrup. I can’t tell you how many different products I’ve looked at since May. There is not enough information out there with regard to healthy, organic products for athletes.

Natural Bug Repellent

We’ve all heard the reports about bug repellents that included Deet. (Although I must say I find it silly that it is reported as harmful for children but not for adults.) Either way, bug repellents made without Deet hit the market a few years ago, but if you examine most of the ingredients you will find one form of toxin or chemicals if not more than one.

So if you are looking for a natural bug repellent, try this:

• Neem Tree Oil – You can use the concentrate of the oil or a soap on your body before you go out into the bug-latent world.
  *Useful info about Neem: Neem is used as a natural skin moisture and protectant with antibacterial compounds. It fights against fungal disease including black spot, rust, mildew and scab in plants.

I use a Neem Tree Oil soap to clean my baby’s eczema flare-ups so they don’t become infected from bacteria he has picked from a day’s play.

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Check out skinnyskinny’s many other natural, handmade products.

Anti Antibacterial Soap

I am anti antibacterial soap. Three reasons:

1. Ingredients include chemicals, which make up the soap’s affective bacteria-killing ability.
2. Killing every single germ only makes them adjust to the new habitat and creates super-germs.
3. Kids can stand to have some bacteria/germs living amongst them, if not they become too clean and their immune system can’t fight off the simple germs.

In its place I am using natural hand soap (yes, it comes in a pump). The brand is Kiss My Face. What I love about this soap is that it smells great, it uses natural antiseptics, and contains no propellants. Also, all the fruit derivative ingredients are certified organic.

More In-Depth: Why not to kill all bacteria?
Bacteria outnumber human cells in your body 10 to 1. This is a good thing. The entire digestive tract is lined with bacteria, from top to, uh, bottom. These bacteria work with the body’s own chemicals in breaking down food, converting it to useful vitamins and minerals, and making sure the intestinal walls can absorb the nutrients for the bloodstream to circulate. Without these bacteria, we could not digest food. Babies, born relatively bacteria-free, are extremely limited in what they can eat.

“The popularity of soaps and other products claiming anti-bacterial properties skyrocketed in the last decade as consumers turned to them as a defense against household illnesses. But some people contend that a number of the products, particularly those that use synthetic chemicals rather than alcohol or bleach, pose the risk of creating germs that are resistant to antibacterials as well as antibiotics.” (Taken from Daily News Central)

Safe Water Bottles & Sippy Cups

No matter how it is put, plastic is made of chemicals and these chemicals can easily leach to substances within them. When does this become most concerning? When we have food or drinks inside plastic containers.

If you would like to prevent chemicals from leaching from plastic to your drinks, use non-leaching containers such as stainless steel.

Try These:

Klean Kanteen – Stainless steel water bottles and sippy cups. Great for warm and cold drinks.
Disadvantage: One design (but they did just release new colors).

Sippy Cup

Sippy Cup

Sippy Cup

Sigg Cups – Aluminum water bottles and sippy cups that come in cool designs. You can get a “Kids Grip” accessory for easier handling for babies/toddlers.
Disadvantage: Have to wash them by hand; not dishwasher safe.

What’s in the Water?

You may not be aware, but recent studies on tap water have shown the potential danger in consuming so much fluoride. Although tap water is regulated (unlike most bottled water), it still contains certain chemicals you yourself might want to reconsider, but more importantly what you are giving to your young children. There is even evidence that showing fluoride could actually be affecting your teeth in a negative way! Check out this article for detailed information on fluoridated water studies. And if you’d rather me just sum it up for you. Here’s a quote from a fluoride experiment using two cities with populations of about 30,000 back in 1954, “In a statewide survey conducted in 1954, J. A. Forst, M.D a New York public health official reported observing one-third more dental defects, including malposition of teeth, in fluoridated Newburgh, New York, than in the non-fluoridated control city of Kingston.” I think that sums it up pretty well.

Another new issue that is starting to become public is that in some places, there are trace amounts of certain drugs and caffeine in the local water systems. These drugs are six commonly used drugs that typically cannot be filtered out of the water with most treatment systems. There are no studies on whether or not this could pose long-term health threats to those exposed, so effects are essentially unknown. Interested? Read this article.

As for bottled water, it’s hard to believe, but the bottled water industry is NOT regulated. That means, they can have whatever they want floating around in those bottles. If any bacteria gets into the water, as it sits on the shelf, the bacteria will continue to grow and fester inside the bottle. Aquafina and Dasani (Pepsi and Coke branded waters) are actually derived from tap water. But you won’t ever find what the ingredients are in Aquafina because they do not post them, ANYWHERE. Dasani, on the other hand, is more public with their ingredients: water, magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, salt. Magnesium sulfate, a.k.a. epsom salt is commonly used as a drying agent! I’m not sure anyone’s actually trying to dry out their mouth when they drink water! And as for potassium chloride, it is commonly used in “food processing and lethal injection” and in high doses is what causes the heart to stop beating. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that in my body in ANY dose. And finally, salt. What makes you more thirsty? Salt. Unbelievable!

I hope that gives you an idea of what is going on in the Bottled Wate Industry and with the public water supply. To get hooked up with clean, certified water, you’ll want to check with the IBWA – International Bottled Water Association. Check out this link for a list of certified bottled water brands. Many times, you can have bottled water delivered to your front door for a reasonable price. I just signed up with Crystal Clear water. We get 15 gallons of water a month plus cooler rental for less than $28. My home consists of 3 adults and 1 dog, and in our first month we only went through 10 gallons of water. It is absolutely worth it to have the peace of mind that you’re drinking safe water!

Coconut Cream Sauce

This is a spicy cream sauce that you can use over seafood, pasta, rice, or anything else you might want to use a sauce over.

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 white onion
2 cups coconut cream
1 tbsp tamarind chutney
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

1. Pour oil into skillet and heat – on high.
2. Place onion into skillet and cook.
3. Add coconut cream, tamarind chutney, and salt into skillet and stir. Turn down heat to medium.
4. Add water as mixture begins to thicken.
5. Let the mixture cook for 5 min., stir, and bring to a simmer.
6. Use as sauce over pasta, rice, meat, etc. or place meat within the sauce and cook.

Suggestions:
Really good with salmon: Place salmon in the cream sauce and cook for 15 min.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my best chocolate chips cookie recipe! These cookies do not include sugar or eggs. The honey and bananas are the natural sweetener.

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 bananas (smashed or pureed)

1. Combine applesauce, melted butter, and honey and blend thoroughly.
2. Add oat flour, baking soda, salt, and bananas to mixture and blend.

Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture on to greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 8 -10 minutes.

Note: To grease cookie sheet, I use olive oil spray.

Variations:
Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if you’d like nuts in your cookies.
Add 1/4 cup organic peanut butter if you’d like peanut butter flavored cookies.