Protecting Unvaccinated Kids – Sanitizing Toys – Alternative Meds for Hip Pain – Non-caffeine Energy Boost – Baby Constipation – Healing Eczema While Breastfeeding
This week's edition of “What Would Emily Do” is going to be an itty-bit shorter than usual because I decided to take a break with that crazy looking small human pictured above. Such is the juggling act of this working mom and blogger – sometimes you just gotta take a time out for the things that matter most. You know what I mean?
Anyway, 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: How to protect unvaccinated kids
Michelle asks…
What do you use as your go to herb, vitamin and/or probiotic etc… for keeping an unvaccinated toddler healthy and strong?
This is a great question Michelle, and I have a two-part answer for you. First of all, you need a consistent foundation of nutrient-dense foods to support overall health. Read my post about immune boosting foods you may be missing here.
Secondly, I have a small arsenal of wellness supplements that I use – some on a daily basis, some as needed. You can read all about them in this post. Though that post is about common cold remedies, the information applies to overall immune support as well.
With these strategies in place, I feel confident that my kids have a good foundation of health and I have reliable tools for the instances in which they actually get sick. If needed, I also have good relationships with a couple of holistic-minded practitioners to help me to decide on the best treatment should something more concerning arise.
Question #2: Sanitizing toys
Andrea is curious…
What is your favorite way to sanitize soft toys (ones that cannot go in the washing machine) naturally?
Well, Andrea – I've got to confess, I'm not really one for sanitizing much other than the toilet and medical supplies. Any soft toy I can't throw in the washing machine doesn't really get cleaned.
Maybe this is gross, but I haven't lost any sleep over it. Do any of our readers have a suggestion for Andrea? If so, please let us know in the comments.
Question #3: Alternative to prescription meds for hip pain
Tammy wants to know…
I'm wondering what you might suggest as an alternative to Celebrex for moderate hip pain.
Hi Tammy – It's challenging to say without knowing more about the cause, contributing factors, and other lifestyle considerations regarding your hip pain. As an acupuncturist, when someone comes into my office for hip pain, I want to know how and when it started; what you're doing that helps and what makes it worse; how's your overall health; are you over or underweight; what's your diet like, and so on.
In most cases of chronic pain, I don't believe that western medicine offers the best solutions available, and I'd try to avoid taking the meds. Instead I'd take advantage of all the talented folks out there who specialize in therapies helpful for pain management. The practitioners I would call on include my: acupuncturist, chiropractor, rolfer, pilates and therapeutic yoga instructors.
From a dietary perspective, if you are already following a traditional real food diet (like this one), I would make sure to also include plenty of bone broth and gelatin for joint healing, lots of saturated fat from healthy animal sources, and antioxidant-rich foods to help reduce inflammation.
Learn how to make bone broth here or have it delivered to your doorstep anywhere in the U.S. from these guys.
Question #4: Non-caffeine energy boost
Courtney asks…
I'm looking for something to give me a little energy during the day. I don't drink coffee and I haven't found a tea I like. I only eat whole foods and nothing processed, no cane sugar. Any natural alternatives for caffeine or an energy boost during the day?
Personally, I find that a bit of black tea or a mid-morning latte is just the thing to manage my joyfully overflowing life. Going on the assumption that you don't need a lecture about getting more sleep, there are several other things that may do the trick.
Some of my favorite healthy pick-me-ups include raw cacao nibs, home-brewed kombucha (learn how here), a mid-day green juice, or a brisk walk around the block. I also make sure to have a substantial breakfast that includes both saturated fat and protein to make sure I don't have a blood sugar crash mid-day.
Got ideas for Courtney to get some energy without coffee or tea? Leave them in the comments.
Question #5: Constipation in a baby just starting solids
Shannon writes…
Any advice on a constipated 6.5 month old baby? He just had avocado for first time…
Hi Shannon – Whenever you're starting your baby with a new food, you want to check in with your little one's body for signs that the food is agreeable or not. In this case, I'd take the constipation as a sign to stop the avocado, and wait a few weeks at least before trying again.
To manage the constipation in the meantime, use a little coconut or olive oil to massage clockwise on your baby's tummy with light pressure to help encourage a healthy bowel movement. If the constipation lasts longer that 4-5 days, you many want to talk to your holistic practitioner for advice on doing a gentle enema with warm filtered water and a bit of sea salt.
If constipation persists beyond this episode, add an infant probiotic like this one to his daily regimen to help strengthen his gut flora.
Read more about baby's first foods in these posts:
Question #6: Healing eczema while breastfeeding
Leslie writes…
I just purchased The Eczema Cure today and am very eager to start it for myself, but I completely forgot to ask if this protocol would be wise to use while breastfeeding my 14 month old. I have a hunch that it wouldn't be ideal (flushing out of toxins?). But I also have a hunch that nursing with my current diet may not be all that great for him right now either. Any advice?
Hi Leslie – The diet and supplement recommendations presented in The Eczema Cure are completely safe to do while breastfeeding. By making these changes you will be improving your overall health while healing your skin – something that will be a positive influence for both you and your baby.
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 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!
Andrea…
I agree with Emily, but if you need to / want to ‘clean’ something you can not throw into the washing machine, essential oils offer a nice option. Go to http://www.doTERRAglow.com LEMON is great (antiseptic, antifungal, antiviral, etc properties) or LAVENDER (antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, etc). There are many other choices but these two are a great starting point. Use a glass spray bottle; these are not the easiest things to find so I reuse my Welda deodorant bottles after a quick hot water cleanse. Fill with filtered water, add a few drops of essential oil and ta-dah! You can also make wipes with Seventh Generation paper towels cut in half, fill a glass Pyrex meatloaf container with water and again a few drops of your chose doTERRA essential oil and ta-dah! Add an oil like olive oil or sesame oil or avocado oil if making a baby wipe :O) Hope this helps put your mind at rest and keep you in the holistic clean zone!
Andrea…
I agree with Emily, but if you need to / want to ‘clean’ something you can not throw into the washing machine, essential oils offer a nice option. Go to http://www.doTERRAglow.com LEMON is great (antiseptic, antifungal, antiviral, etc properties) or LAVENDER (antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, etc). There are many other choices but these two are a great starting point. Use a glass spray bottle; these are not the easiest things to find so I reuse my Welda deodorant bottles after a quick hot water cleanse. Fill with filtered water, add a few drops of essential oil and ta-dah! You can also make wipes with Seventh Generation paper towels cut in half, fill a glass Pyrex meatloaf container with filtered water and again a few drops of your chose doTERRA essential oil and ta-dah! Add an oil like olive oil or sesame oil or avocado oil if making a baby wipe (add water + oil + essential oil – mix well – then drop in your 1/2 a roll of paper towels taken off the cardboard spool and rolled up) :O) Hope this helps put your mind at rest and keep you in the holistic clean zone!
Hey Andrea, if you are looking for something natural and efficient to clean your kids’ toys, and everything else for that matter, then you need to give Norwex a try! It cleans with literally a cloth and hot water! I never thought in a million years that something like a cloth and water could clean so amazingly, but Norwex proved me wrong. So much so that now, every time I see a commercial advertising a new cleaner of some kind, I just say to myself, “ha! They need all those chemicals and none sense to make a cleaner, but Norwex only needs water! ha!”. No joke, I’m not trying to sell anything. You’re probably wondering how something can clean good if you are only using water. I’ll try to explain a little bit on how, but if you want to get a clear picture of how Norwex works so great, you should probably go to their website, I’ll put a link below. Anyway, so Norwex is a microfiber cloth, infused with silver. If I recall, silver has been known and used for a really long time in the removal of germs among many, many things. The Norwex cloth, when rinsed with hot water will pick up and store germs and bacteria in its fibers from the surfaces it has wiped. And when rinsed in hot water again, all those bacteria and germs and whatever else it picked up, will be released.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. Go check out their website. To really see it in action though, you’d better host a Norwex party. Information on how to do that will be on their website as well. Hope this helps 🙂
Here’s the link: http://www.norwex.com/
Hi! Emily, I’m a holistic mama like you. My children have happily taken their cod liver oil/high vit butter chocolate flavored gelatin… until NOW. My 4.5 year old suddenly-picky -eater is not fooled by mixing it with honey. I need to disguise it more I think. Any tips?
Hi Andrea – You can find my tips for taking FCLO here: http://holisticsquid.com/tricks-for-taking-fermented-cod-liver-oil/
Good luck! 🙂
Soft toys: to get rid of germs (like after your child was sick or traveled with the toy – airplanes and airports, anyone?), I put the toy in a plastic re-sealable bag and put it in the freezer overnight. I trust all the germs and bacteria freeze to death 🙂