Wikis related to baby-and-child

By Ramiel Nagel    Author of Cure Tooth Decay: Remineralize Your Teeth & Repair your Teeth Naturally with Good Food   This article is also excerpted in Mothering's recent guide Healing Teeth Naturally. Check it out for a wealth of information.      My Daughter Had Severe Tooth Decay   At a little over one year old, my breastfed daughter developed a small white spot on her tooth. The spot later turned brown and then, at around the age of a year and a half, the tooth crumbled apart. Her mouth became riddled with cavities. We ate organic food and did not feed her processed sugar. I...

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that protection from whooping cough wanes quickly after the final dose of the vaccine is administered to children around age seven. Most children whose parents chose to follow the recommended schedule receive the vaccine in five doses beginning as an infant. Acellular pertussis is just one of the three vaccines contained in this DTaP series, which also includes diphtheria and tetanus. The new results showed a dramatic drop in continuing protection from the vaccine after the final dose is administered. “The odds of...

                  It often seems as if I have spent my entire life in search of a specific moment.  A moment when all of my goals are met, all of my tasks are completed, all of my obligations are met, and I can sit back and rest in perfect peace knowing that I am, indeed, good enough.This pursuit took on different faces in the various seasons of my life.   When I was a student, I believed that peace would come when I finally had all of my work done, all of my reading finished, and all of my exams prepared for.   As a young wife, I believed I would earn my peace when I had created...

The season of unrest around here kicked off with a rare earthquake, almost two weeks ago. Then there was Irene, and we lost power for five days. The first day of first grade fell in that window of darkness and ice runs, and then just after the lights came back on, an armed, convicted rapist escaped from the county courthouse near our house and a full-scale manhunt ensued, thoroughly shaking up this otherwise quiet town. He’s back in custody now, and most of the local hurricane damage has been dealt with. I know I was not alone in harboring a high level of stress in my skin and bones...

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, and she waits as she bends over to pick up...

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 with information regarding the...

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 irritations, an ever-stuffy nose, and...

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 therapeutic grade oils that...

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 schedule until my son was...

  Image: CC 2.0 by Mike Baird Today’s kids are awash in environmental toxins from conception on. Some of those chemicals are implicated in the ever-earlier onset of puberty plaguing many girls. Over the last 100 years, the average age when puberty arrives fell from around 16 to 17 years of age to 12. It continues to drop. Experts say some of this can be attributed to better health. And some of it has to do with high rates of childhood obesity. But there’s a growing body of scientific evidence linking it to a variety of toxins. The newest villian is dichlorobenzene. This...

In episode 2 of the Mothering podcast Mothering Editor and Publisher Peggy O’Mara interviews Dr. Andrew Wakefield; coauthor of a 1998 study that suggested a link between Crohn’s Disease and the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine in some children. He has been accused of incorrectly linking the MMR vaccine with autism. In this special interview, Wakefield discusses the current controversy surrounding his research. Subscribe to the Mothering podcast. See the associated resource page for this episode. Download the Mothering Interview With Dr. Andrew Wakefield About Melanie...

Thank you to Lisa Crognale of Lightning Strikes for this guest post. Just like every other North American family, our family has been capitalizing on these first few warm spring days. After being cooped-up inside for an entire winter, these days are so delicious.  So, it was the first time we have seen our daughter Mia, outside for quite awhile.  She was not impressed.  She stood inside peering out at us through the sliding glass door.  Every minute or so she would stick a foot out, let it touch the deck, then jump back in while screaming.  It was as if she wanted to experience it, but...

Sleeping baby A L.O.V.E. Parenting Technique that has been helpful for many of my clients has been to facilitate the bedtime routine in two locations. Rather than include the stimulation of books, lullabies, made-up stories, and talking in the bedroom, do these activities in another room, perhaps on the couch in the living room, and let the bedroom be a place for sleep only. Set the bedroom up for slumber with the curtains drawn, the covers pulled back, the lights off, and perhaps soft classical music playing and/or a nightlight on. The energy of this room should be like a...

Managing Asthma with Natural Medicine By Randall Neustaedter Web Exclusive Natural medicine can significantly strengthen immune function, preventing asthma attacks and even curing the underlying cause of symptoms. The most successful approach to asthma, and the easiest for parents to adhere to, is constitutional homeopathy as practiced by an experienced, certified, classical homeopathic practitioner (see www.homeopathicdirectory.com ). The constitutional medicine is a single substance that corresponds to the overall picture of a child's physical symptoms, medical history, general...

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 new, curious foods...

If you are looking to find an alternative practitioner for your family, here are some starting points.  Always try to start with a recommendation: either a referral from a friend or another patient, or from another health practitioner (your pediatrician, nurse-practitioner, or midwife). The professional organizations for each specialty usually screen their members to ensure that they have adequate training and experience, and can refer you to qualified practitioners in your area. Check to see if a practitioner is state licensed. If licensing requirements for that specialty do not exist...

Here are some common herbs and their health benefits for children: Aloe vera: heals burns and wounds (used externally). Arnica: good for bumps and bruises (used externally). Astragalus: builds strengthens the immune system. Calendula: soothes skin irritations, burns, diaper rash (used externally). California poppy: calming; used in children's nighttime formulas. Catnip: calming, digestive aid; used for colic, sleeplessness,minor fevers. Chamomile: a digestive aid and calming agent. Comfrey: good for skin irritations, inflammations (should not be taken...

By Stacey Greenberg Web Exclusive In the land before children, my husband and I had many a circumcision debate over dinner and drinks with friends. I always humored him as he made the comparison between circumcision and female genital mutilation, secretly knowing that I would trump his concerns with my Judaism card. He had agreed to a Jewish wedding and a Jewish household, and well, Jews circumcised their boys. End of story. I'm not the most religious Jew ever, and my friends and husband have often wondered how I can even call myself a Jew. (Obviously they are not Jewish!) I...

By Elizabeth West Web Exclusive - March 24, 2009 I have to admit that when I first heard about Maternal Infant Bonding (MIB) therapy for pediatric asthma, my expectations were modest at best. We'd tried a number of different approaches for controlling our daughter's asthma, but nothing helped much. After experimenting with homeopathy, changes in diet, and various sorts of energy work, including reiki, we turned with some reluctance to allopathic medicine. The inhalers her doctor prescribed did keep us from frantic trips to the emergency room and eased her discomfort in the night. However,...

By Corbin Lewars Web Exclusive - July 25, 2008 "I hear a strange swooshing sound in her heart. I think you better take her to the doctor," my midwife Lisa said the day after my daughter was born. Coming from Lisa, this made me a bit nervous. I'd gotten used to the reassurances she dispensed at every potential hurdle we encountered throughout my pregnancy. I'd grown accustomed to her saying, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine." And everything had turned out fine. With the labor over and newborn Stella curled up in bed next to me nursing away, I was just starting to relax. Now...