Taking care of others is a full-time job. Here's the help you need to make it easier.
Marilyn Milos is the compassionate nurse who founded NOCIRC, the National Organization of Circumcision Info and Resource Centers. Here Milos speaks of her early motivations, influences, and remembers humanist Ashley Montagu. read more
By Sherri J. TenpennyIssue 120, September-October 2003 The time has finally arrived for the highly anticipated trip out of the country. The plans began long ago: airplane tickets, hotel reservations, rental car, sightseeing plans. The bags are being pulled from the attic to be packed, and the excitement mounts with each passing day. Everything is a go. But wait-what about vaccines? Is this one more preparation that needs to be added to the "To Do" list? Traveling out of the country can feel like a venture to another planet. Pictures of exotic destinations coupled with... read more
By Pascale WowakWeb Exclusive - September 10, 2007 When my baby daughter was two weeks old, I noticed a red dot on her torso and another one on her forehead. My husband proclaimed them to be moles. I wasn't so sure, and quickly sought the opinion of our daughter's pediatrician. "Hmmmm," the doctor said as she said as she looked at them—over and over again for what felt like the longest time. It was the kind of "hmmmm" that seemed to be saying: "I'm stalling because I know what this is but I don't want to scare you so I'm going to triple check and take my time figuring... read more
When I was pregnant with my first child, I spent most of the pregnancy worried about and trying to plan for a great natural birth. All the “mothering” stuff after that I just didn’t even think about. I read one baby book though, the Dr Sears classic, “The Baby Book” and thought briefly about vaccines and delayed vaccinations. When I talked to my child’s pediatrician though she kind of brushed off the idea of splitting up the schedule and I ended up just going along with everything as recommended by the “experts.” I proceeded obediently according to... read more
By Valerie Schultz Issue 104, January - February 2001 A random germ has plucked this day from the parade of usual days. The list of things I planned to do today remains just that--an unchecked-off list. This morning my two year old (whom I still think of as "the baby") vomited raisin bran down the front of my shirt. That was all she wrote. All my scheduled errands, chores, and goals evaporated. Left in their place, to fill the hours, was a sick child. Some of my clearest childhood memories are of sick days, with my mother's cool, satin cheek against my burning... read more
We all know that essential oils smell great, but did you also know that they have numerous medicinal properties and applications? I had no idea until relatively recently that they were capable of having tremendous effects on the body. While I have used herbs for a long time in my approach to health and healing, I hadn’t yet learned the true value of essential oils and their place within a holistic approach to health. My love and study of essential oils began when a colleague and partner of mine, for whom I have great respect, recommended that I buy a few... read more
USDA commons I’m one of those annoying people. I grow enough organic produce to put up hundreds of jars of home canned goods each year. I grind grain to make fresh flour, use coconut oil instead of canola, even make my own herbal tinctures. I was probably a little nutty about nutrition before I had kids. Believe me, I got a lot nuttier afterwards. All of my health-foodie ways didn’t ward off my third child’s problems. He was born with a hole in his heart. Even after that was resolved he rarely seemed fully healthy. He had asthma, chronic skin... read more
Thank you to Dr. Bob Sears for this guest post. The California Legislature is currently considering a bill that would require parents to obtain their doctor’s signature on a government form prior to enrollment in public school if they wish to skip one or more vaccines for their child. Current law allows parents to decline vaccines by signing an exemption form at the school – no doctor’s signature needed. The new law would require “a written statement signed by a health care practitioner that indicates that the practitioner provided the parent... read more
Two beautiful ladies: Kat and Lexi Update: I am very sad to report that little Lexi passed away from leukemia on Feb 10th at the age of 3. The family requests that donations be made to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara in lieu of flowers. Thank you to Jessica Mireles for contributing this article. This work was originally posted on Jessica’s blog–check it out at Allegro non tanto. My friend Kat is waiting. She waits while she puts the dirty laundry into the washing machine, she waits while she scrubs the kitchen sink,... read more
Accepting the Gift: Grief and Loss His Way By Ginger CarlsonA Web Exclusive There doesn't seem to be anything as clearing as Himalayan air. If you're lucky enough, the clouds part and grant you a moment's glance at Everest's peak. True clarity, the stuff of poetry, settles on your whole being. For a day or so, you look at the whole world like a three-year-old. I smelt it once, that lucidity. With baby on back, we stepped out early one June morning in Nepal to be greeted by this glimpse. On the same day, the entire Royal family was massacred by Nepal's Crown Prince. I... read more
