What Would Emily Do? (5/30 Edition)

Natural Treatment for Depression – Rubella Vaccine – Baby Acne and Cradle Cap – Healing Bone Fracture – Kombucha Mold – Natural Sunscreen

Happy Friday! It is busy, busy, busy over here at Squid Headquarters. We are getting so close to launching Real Plans, the new and fabulous upgrade to Holistic Squid Meal Plans – you're going to love it!

Feed Your Fertility is leaving our hands this week, on the way to a bookstore near you next spring. And in my free time I'm seeing patients, attending embryo transfers to do acupuncture (my pretty outfit above), and fitting in time with my little family. Phew!

And still the world keeps spinning. 🙂

My inbox runneth over with questions from readers wondering – What would Emily do – about Real food and holistic health topics. I’ve created this Q&A to get your questions answered and for other folks to benefit from the answers too.

Who am I to know the answers to your questions?

I’m a holistic-minded mom, a sometimes beach bum, a real food foodie, a curious health researcher, and I’ve been practicing holistic and Chinese medicine for over a decade. That said, the answers here are only my opinion, and shouldn’t be construed as medical advice.

If you read something here and have your own wisdom or opinion to add, by all means, please leave a comment so we can all benefit from your experiences and perspective.

Okey dokey! Let’s dive in…

Question 1:

Tonya is curious:
Depression is something that a lot of people suffer from, doctors typically just put you right onto some sort of medication. I'm wondering if there is a more natural way you can prevent depression, or even treat mild depression with something not over the counter?

Thanks for your question, Tonya. There are certainly alternative ways to approach and manage depression, as holistic treatment is more likely to treat the root cause of a condition than just the manifesting emotions and other symptoms. For starters, it's important to eat a real food diet, so that you have a foundation of good health. Working with a good therapist can be extremely helpful as well. You should also consider if hormone imbalance or a thyroid condition is contributing to the depression – Chinese medicine can be super helpful.

As for specific supplements, many folks find that fish oil and vitamin D help. Amino acid therapy can do wonders in bringing neurotransmitter function back into healthy balance – check out The Mood Cure by Julia Ross for more on amino acid therapy.

In some cases of clinical depression when an individual may cause harm to themselves or others, medication is the best solution, but for otherwise, it is wise to seek holistic care to truly resolve this condition.

Question 2:

Amy writes:
I am 5 months pregnant. I was fully vaccinated as a child. After routine blood work my doc says that I am no longer vaccinated against Rubella. She wants to vaccinate me after the baby is born, and says I currently need to stay away with anyone who has it. My almost 2 yr old is not vaccinated but will be put on an alternative delayed schedule of vaccination in June. What can I do for me? Do I need it? Why isn't it for life like the other vaccines? Any good websites I can read up on this?

Hey Amy – It sure can be confusing…

Though it is publicized that the MMR vaccine will impart lifelong immunity, the rubella component is only 77% effective – and adults are more susceptible. The trend is now to revaccinate women of childbearing age, as a woman who contracts rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy is more at risk of miscarriage or birth defects for her child.

In children, rubella is a relatively mild illness that requires no treatment, but the vaccine is associated with significant adverse effects including arthritis and nervous system disorders, which is why pregnant women really should NOT get a rubella or MMR vaccine.

My holistic pediatric mentor, Randall Neustaedter, has a great book, The Vaccine Guide – which is also my primary source for the information here.

Question 3:

Lesha wants to know…
Anyone have any ideas on what I can use to help my 8 week old with baby acne and cradle cap? His poor little head and face are so bumpy and flakey!! I used some vitamin E oil to reduce some redness but it's very temporary I'm just looking for any help. 

Hi Lesha – Cradle cap and baby acne are both super common, and they tend to resolve in a few weeks on their own.

If either persists for longer than a few weeks, I would recommend starting baby on a high quality probiotic to help give his immune system some extra support. This one is shelf stable, and you can empty the caps into a bottle of pumped milk or dab some of the powder from a clean finger into his mouth.

Question 4:

Valbona asks…
What can you recommend to speed up bone healing in a toddler (17 months) with a fracture? 

Poor kid! In addition to generally eating a real food diet (read the specifics here), I would recommend bone broth, gelatin, grass-fed dairy, fermented cod liver oil, and high vitamin butter oil every day.

You can learn all about the healing power of bone broth and Gelatin in this great ebook: The Gelatin Secret.

Fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil will provide essential fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K2 required for bone healing.

Question 5:

A reader sends this pic and asks:
Does this look moldy to you? Kombucha 7 days brewed with black tea & cane sugar. The Scoby was given to me from a friend.

Nope! This looks like perfectly normal brewing kombucha to me. The bubbles are caused by the fermentation process of the scoby ‘eating' the sugar.

You can read more about troubleshooting kombucha here.

Question 6:

Daphne asks…
What natural sunscreen do you use?

Glad you asked, Daphne. I just perfected my recipe for water resistant sunscreen that works great and is super easy to make. Get the recipe here. If you don't want to make your own, I recommend this one.

Got questions about real food or holistic health and wondering W.W.E.D.?

If you have a question for me, please first use the handy dandy search bar at the top righthand corner of this site. If that doesn’t give you the answers you need, email [questions at holisticsquid dot com].

I can’t guarantee that I will get to every single question, but I will do my best (with a priority for questions that will serve the most of the Holistic Squid community).

Also, keep in mind that I cannot and will not give you medical advice over the internet. It’s inappropriate and unethical. If you want my medical opinion about a health or nutritional issue for you or your child, I take virtual patient consultations on a limited basis via phone or Skype; You can find out more about my distance consultations here.

Got answers not included here? Please leave them in the comments below!

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