Nora - 16 months
http://littlemountainhomeopathy.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/a-safe-effective-alternative-to-the-flu-vaccine/
I feel we are being bullied by our health care systems, who are being bullied
And then there's alternative medicine..... We are all too quick to pull out the infant Tylenol and Motrin and Mylicon and Desitin without really knowing what's in them. They are all continually being recalled for containing mercury and other carcinogens or being too concentrated. Not to mention, all the prescription meds that Dr's claim are safe. And then there's the allowed amount of toxins the the FDA lets slip past in baby products. Even a popular brand baby shampoo has recently been found to be contaminated with carcinogens. The less I know, the more I wish I didn't. But knowledge IS power. The good news is there are alternatives that have little or no side effects. We always used homeopathic teething tablets before breaking out the Motrin and almost never used Tylenol. Tummy Soothers or Gripe Water rather than Mylicon. Cool steam, an elevated mattress, more fluids and saline nose drops for a runny, stuffy nose or cold. After she was one, Honey elixir and more fluids for coughing. But overall, she's been extremely healthy with the exception of her eating habits at about 14 months to 3 months ago. Which leads me to the gfcf diet.
GFCF is gluten free, casein free. Gluten is wheat and white flours, often found in most shelf boxed foods and other products processed alongside wheat. Wheat by products include durum, semolina, farina, gluten, gliadin, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, starch, monosodium glutamate, bran, bulgur, graham, patent, wheat germ, “thickener”, and “flour". Casein is found in all bovine dairy milk and milk products, including lactose free products. It's a protein found in milk and is used independently as a binding agent in many foods.
After talking to a few licensed professionals about the benefits of the elimination of those things, we gave it a try. It was really hard at first and I had no clue what I was doing. About 80% or more of our families didn't like what we were doing. I even have to say my husband thought I was crazy. But when it comes to my baby girl, whom I love more than life, I will do whatever it takes and "obsess" til I find an answer. Why? Because that's my job as her Momma. And then I found "Cooking for Isaiah" by Silvana Nardone. She owned and operated a bakery in Brooklyn, NY so you know this woman knows how to make something taste really good! I've since then learned how to replace almost everything with foods that actually taste good and add in more healthy choices.
My new favorite cook book!
23 months
I'm a huge believer in holistic and natural health and just all around basic healthy nutrition. What we put into our bodies needs to be fuel and if we can avoid potentially harmful ingredients, whether they are in a shot, the food we eat or the products we use, the better our bodies will be. Our focus should always lean toward basic healthy foods full of vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and proteins and in return, guess what? We'll be healthy, too :)