Category Archives: children

Homeopathy, Children and Life, A Deeper Look

What I love about this article below is that it captures succinctly a number of key points of homeopathic philosophy.  For example, that you are not your illness.  That the origins of a ‘disease’ that you are experiencing *today* may have ancestral roots.  But whatever the cause of the problem it has something to do with inter-relationships of things in your world, your life and how it effected you.  I don’t have the name of the author, but the article appeared in “The Daily Mirror” 12/25/08, an Indian paper.  And read the Arsenicum case in the article, so cool.

A person is not simply a disease. Instead they are the totality of their physical and psychological characteristics. This totality is a dynamic and evolving system. In Homeopathy we recognize that our whole entire being is influenced not only by infections and day to day stresses but also our environment and our emotions and that of those around us.

In the case of children we can clearly see a link in the stresses surrounding their births and even conception going onto having a bearing in their “total health.”  In some cases this will be revealed by the child’s inability to gain weight, to sleep well or a recurring ear infection, craving certain foods and so on. Instead of looking within ourselves and the shadow side of our behavior and emotions we look for the quick fix to patch our children back to “health” with antibiotics and vitamins. This is not a true cure. We need to always consider the root cause. And more often than not it has its roots in the realm of emotions. Sometimes it is an emotion of an ancestor that we carry with us and keep reliving it.   Remember that all experiences we have leave an energetic imprint on us.

This brings me to a case I read of when a mother came to visit a Homeopath with her son who always woke up at 3 am. The mother had frontal sinusitis. The child seemed very agitated and in contrast the mother was calm and dressed all in black. Of course like most modern mothers she claimed her pregnancy was problem free and how much she had achieved during her pregnancy, but her child was presenting with much agitation and sleep issues. So the homeopath has to dig a little deeper to find out what had been going on during her pregnancy. Many months later the mother recalled that she watched the assassination of President Sadat on the television when she was pregnant. This apparently really shocked her and she was also able to recall that ever since then the baby moved around so much in her stomach. She put it down to him just being active and all boy! But through the Homeopathic lens of understanding we are able to see that this negative image was transferred to the unborn baby while in utero. The Homeopath prescribed a few doses of Arsenicum Albumen for the indication of the fear of death. The boy began to sleep through the night and became much calmer.

In today’s world a pregnant woman is exposed to so much negativity on a daily basis. For example, take the 24 hour news channels that allow us to relive disturbing and traumatic events on demand. We absorb these images and emotions and make it part of our psyche.  We have moved very far away from the days when pregnant women were revered and placed in calming and beautiful surroundings in order to imbibe feelings of harmony and joy to their children. Today even a child’ birth is scheduled in most parts of the developed world. Very little is left to the natural rhythms of the Universe. We have to find a middle path, a path on which we can enjoy the benefits of the modern world but not let it destroy our spirit.

In our busy world we seem to have forgotten that our physical body and our emotions are inextricably linked. In order to truly put our lives back in balance we need to look a little deeper than the superficial symptoms. We need to truly look at the dis-ease in our being.  In order to ascertain the fundamental cause of disease and then treat what needs to be cured it takes some self reflection. All the stresses of our day to day life impact our vital force.  In treating children we see how strong their vital force is and through Homeopathy you can maintain this vitality and enhance it.

Alternative and Complementary Medicine (CAM)Use is Growing

I posted a government survey here on this blog which concluded that 38 percent of American adults and 12 percent of American children use complementary and alternative medicine (here). The Washington Post did an article on this topic too (here)
Critics of these health care approaches are up in arms, claiming that acupuncture is a placebo and homeopathy is fake. What they fail to realize it that these approaches are valid and have helped since their inceptions millions of people. The power of these approaches is that they offer prevention and healing. These alternative approaches tend to follow a non-invasive model and offer empowerment.

Many people are opting out of lifelong medication. That approach seems to miss the mark on quality care. The Western medical model is helpful, however it is not the only approach that has validity and that can help people. The science as God approach used to validate modern medical is also not fool proof. To wit the large number of adverse events and drug side effects. But, the purpose of the article is not to rant.
Health is freedom. Let the healing continue.

Research: High Fructose, Hormones and your appetite

The High Fructose Corn Syrup Debacle
In recent years the literature grows on the dangers of high fructose corn syrup as a food additive. The corn industry and the sugar industry laud the substance but our bodies tell us different. Growing girths, increased rates of juvenile and adult onset diabetes tell a different tale.

Leptin
The fatty tissue in our body serve necessary functions. One of which is to secrete hormones that regulate our appetite and metabolism. Leptin is an important adipose derived hormone. Leptin is critical in controlling the appetite. Leptin resistance is a factor in obesity. According to a published study by the University of Florida a link between overconsumption of high fructose corn syrup exerts a dampening effect on the bodies ability to respond to the important communication this substance provides within the body.

UF researchers found that rats became resistant to leptin after being fed a diet high in fructose for six months. Although there were no visible signs this change was occurring, the fructose-fed rats gained considerably more weight than rats that never ate fructose when both groups were switched to a high-fat diet.

Typically, leptin resistance develops with obesity, but this study showed that high dietary fructose causes a “silent” leptin resistance, Shapiro said. It develops undetected, but when the high-fat diet is introduced it causes greater than expected obesity.

Tips for Healthy Eating
1. If buying packaged food, read the labels and avoid products that contain high fructose corn syrup.
2. Avoid eating in between meals.
3. Eating whole foods provide a steady release of energy so that cravings are reduced.
4. Eat only when hungry.
5. Avoid eating after 6pm – 7pm.
6. Shop around for exercise dvd’s you enjoy so you can make exercise a regular habit.

full article here

U.S. Children Overmedicated

American children are three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications for conditions such as ADHD and bipolar disease than European children are, a new study finds.

Differences in regulatory practices and cultural beliefs about the benefit of medication for emotional and behavioral problems may explain this dramatic difference, the U.S. researchers added.

“There is significantly greater use of atypical antipsychotics and SSRI-type antidepressants for child mental health treatment in U.S. than in Western Europe,” according to lead researcher Julie Zito.

The report was published in the Sept. 24 online edition of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health.

Antidepressant medications Prozac, Ritalin and stimulant usage were compared in the United States, the Netherlands and Germany,

The researchers found that the annual prevalence of psychotropic medications among children in the United States was significantly greater than in either the Netherlands or Germany. In the United States, 6.7 percent of children were taking these drugs, compared with 2.9 percent in the Netherlands and 2 percent in Germany.

In addition, use of antidepressants and stimulants was three or more times higher in the United States than in the Netherlands or Germany, and use of antipsychotic drugs was 1.5 to 2.2 times greater in the United States than in either of the other countries.

The difference in the use of these drugs may be partly due to differences in diagnosis systems. For example, in the United States, there are more diagnoses of bipolar disease among children and adolescents than there are in Europe, the researchers noted.

Many children in the United States are taking two or more psychotropic drugs in a single year.

(article here)

Back to School: Feeding Children Healthy Lunches

by Catherine Carter

No need to be overwhelmed with packing the kid’s lunches. Packing a healthy lunch doesn’t require one to be a dietitian or a nutritionist it just takes label reading and a little planning. You will save money and build your young one’s health.

One of the challenges of the mid-day meal is that if it is too heavy it interferes with mental work. After all, nodding off in the classroom will lead to other problems. Have the children start off with a healthy breakfast of a whole grain cereal, such as steel cut oats. It’s good for mom and dad too. The oats have plenty of fiber and b-vitamins which are excellent for the nervous system, the brain and emotional stability. Add a protein shake for extra nutrition. Eating a nutritious breakfast cuts down on cravings and will enable you to make it to lunch time with out feeling famished.

Less Healthy Lunch Options
For lunch avoid processed meats, the salt, the sugar, the additives, the source of the meat itself all lend it to be not a great choice. Avoid white bread and sugary snacks. Avoid items with artificial colors. Repeatedly these substances, although labeled by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe” , have been implicated in aggravating hyperactivity and mood disorders. One last thing to avoid are sugary drinks. Young people are developing diabetes at an astounding rate and even fruit juice has been implicated as a factor. Consider diluting fruit juice with mineral water for a tasty lunch beverage.

Healthier Lunch Options
Prepare sandwiches made with whole grain bread. Use a tasty home made spread. It is cheaper and you have better control over the quality of the ingredients. And of course nothing can substitute for the love you put into it. Slice veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower with a dip. Use delicious nut butters for sandwich spreads. Bean burgers are very easy to make and are tasty alternatives to meat as are grain burgers. Adding a few nuts and seeds or a home made trail mix to the lunch box is tasty and nutritious too.

Targeting 8-year olds for Cholesterol Drugs, Instead Try This

In an attempt to fight off childhood obesity and help children with too little HDL the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that some children, as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs. The recommendations are based on evidence that heart disease begins early in life. The cholesterol medications are “generally recognized as safe”. The focus is on “treatment” instead of healing and promoting healthy living. And while nutrition counseling and exercise is mentioned it is listed as a passing reference. Since when are drugs needed, to be healthy? Why is drug use pushed as a means to health? A pill-popping mentality encourages dependence and opens the door for abuses be it with “legal” or illegal drugs. It is much better to teach by example and for the family to develop healthier habits.

Have doctors given up on how to heal people? Are they taught how to heal in medical school? These are valid questions as the American public is steered to life long medication habits vs. prevention, wellness, and healing as if these are simply not possible.

A Few Healthy Tips

  1. Remove the video games and encourage physical activity.
  2. Every state has wonderful national parks – go exploring in nature and pack a healthy lunch to take with you.
  3. Wean the family off of ‘fast food.’
  4. Exercise together as a family.
  5. Eliminate sugary drinks.
  6. Add whole grains to the diet.
  7. Speak kindly to one another.

For more information, Prescription Drugs, Pharmaceuticals End Up in the Drinking Water
Do Cholesterol Drugs, Do Any Good?

Continuum Wellness offers holistic healing and wellness services for the family.

Research Review: Childhood Cancer Rates

Childhood cancer is still rare. But it does occur. And according the American Cancer Society it is the leading disease related cause of death among children in the United States. New tracking methods allow researchers to study the incidence of childhood cancer among various populations and locations throughout the United States.

A review of the data was published in the journal Pediatrics, 36446 cases of childhood cancer were reviewed. Analysis showed:

  • boys had a significantly higher rate than girls
  • children (aged 0–14 years) had a significantly lower rate than adolescents (aged 15–19 years)
  • white children had the highest incidence rate among all races.
  • Young people living in the Northeast had the highest incidence rate among all US census regions

The study demonstrates distinct differences in cancer incidence between the 4 US census regions. It also shows differences in cancer incidence according to gender, race and ethnicity. Read the study here.

Mercury Free Dentistry

Your diet is healthy, you stretch and exercise what else might you need to look at if you want to detox your body? Open your mouth and say a-a-h. Do you have any mercury fillings in your mouth? Moms against Mercury recently won against the FDA regarding the safety of amalgams. They will now have to at least admit that they are not totally safe.

FDA now states, for example:

“Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects
on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus.” “Pregnant
women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them
more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with
existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking
dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner.”

For the FDA statement here
Toxic Teeth is a grassroots organization dedicated to mercury free dentistry, check them out for additional information.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

by Catherine Carter

Breast milk is uniquely formulated for human infants by Mother Nature. It nourishes the human infant unlike any other food. A mother has to decide if she will breast feed her newborn or use formula feeding. The decision is a serious one. The breast fed child receives many benefits from mother’s milk. The benefits are physiological, emotional and effects other subtle aspects of the newborn. The nurturing act of breastfeeding is two way and benefits the mother also.

Here’s a look at 12 benefits of breastfeeding.

Continue reading “Benefits of Breastfeeding” »

CDC Reports, More Kids Fainting After Shots

CDC on Thursday recommended that health-care providers observe young patients after vaccination, following a spike in the number of syncope, or fainting, reports in recent years.

According to CDC, at least 463 people fainted after getting immunized over an 18-month period from 2005 to 2007. While such fainting is not uncommon and is not in itself dangerous, some of the youngsters fell and hit their heads on the floor. At least one had a car accident, CDC said, and a 15-year-old boy died after striking his head.

Cases of syncope have risen as new vaccines, notably those against human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningitis (MCV4), have become routine among adolescents and teens. US infants and very young children receive a battery of vaccinations, but immunizations for older children and teenagers were not common until recently.

“A girl aged 13 years fainted within 10 minutes of receiving HPV and MCV4 vaccinations,” reported CDC. “She fell backward and hit her head on the carpeted floor of the clinic.” Though the girl had a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, she eventually recovered.

“Providers should strongly consider observing patients for 15 minutes after they are vaccinated,” CDC urged.

The report, “Syncope After Vaccination, United States, January 2005-July 2007,” was published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2008;57(17):457-460).