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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Who the heck first figured this out?
I was making my gratitude list today, and one item I put on the list was how thankful I am to have started down the path of learning about herbs, holistic medicine, aromatherapy, homeopathy, flower essences, etc., when a hilarious memory jumped into my mind. Last year, I had a bout of postpartum BPPV – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. For ten weeks, I felt like I was walking around on the deck of a ship at sea. And not a big cruise ship, either. More like a dinghy. Traditional medicine did not work for me (how surprising!), so I went … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Funny, Herbs, Holistic Home Remedies, Homeopathy
Tagged acupuncture, bat guano, bizarre, BPPV, castor oil, deer antler, homeopathy, strange, weird remedies
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My Gratitude List: May 28, 2011
I spent most of yesterday in a miasma of suffering. A sudden flu overtook me and knocked me down so hard that I did not even have the energy to take the baby to day care. I was alternately hot and cold, achy all over, and weak to boot. So as I was laying there, glued to my bed, I asked myself, “Is there anything I can find in this situation to be grateful about?” Well, yes, strangely enough, there was. I was grateful that… …my mother-in-law was there to help with the baby as I shivered and sniffled …I … Continue reading
Post-Pregnancy Body (And Other) Blues
It’s been almost 10 months since I gave birth, and I still look like I’m 5 months pregnant. At first I kept telling myself that it’s because I’m breastfeeding, and that that is why my clothes don’t fit anymore. But I can’t fit into my pants and skirts either, not even the ones that hung very loose on me before pregnancy. What excuse am I going to give for that, that I breastfeed with my ass?? Everything came to a head this past weekend, when I finally went shopping (for the first time after giving birth) at Nordstrom’s and stood … Continue reading
Posted in Mothering/Parenting, Self-Image
Tagged body image, gratitude, postpartum weight loss
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Essential Oils for Babies and Young Children
Unfortunately, the number of essential oils you can actually use on your baby, toddler, or young child is rather limited. This is because of the potency of many essential oils and the fragility of your little one’s still-developing systems. I would recommend a kit of just 5 essential oils for your young ones, with the following important caveats: 1) Use 1/3 the dose you would use on an adult (so if an adult recipe calls for 9 drops, use 3) and 2) DON’T use ANY essential oils on or near an infant under 1 month. Here’s my kit: Lavender (Lavandula … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Babies, Toddlers, Young Children
Tagged aromatherapy for babies, bergamot, dill, essential oils, lavender, lemon, mandarin, roman chamomile, spearmint, sweet orange, tangerine, toddlers, young child
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A Holistic Mama’s First Aid Kit – Part 3
I’m baaaaaack. I’m not going to stop until I finish this, or else I’ll be talking about Holistic First Aid Kits until Kingdom Come. So get ready for a LOOOOONG post. Fever: Like diarrhea, fever in a child under 6 is pretty serious and needs medical attention (well, fever over 101 degrees). When my baby had a 100-degree fever, I didn’t take her in but tried a holistic remedy recommended by Dr. Kim Millman, MD, PhD, and it worked! Basically, I took a Calcium Lactate pill and dissolved it in water, then gave the baby a syringe full of the … Continue reading
Posted in First Aid, Holistic Home Remedies, Homeopathy
Tagged colic, fever, florasone, gas, hives, poison ivy, poison oak, puncture wounds, rashes, reflux, shock, sprains, sunburn, teething
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A Holistic Mama’s First Aid Kit – Part 2
Were you glued to my blog feed for Part 2? Haha, I knew it. Continued from my last post, “A Holistic Mama’s First Aid Kit” – I’m still mentally doing a one-Mama brainstorm of what I would put in this kit. I would welcome your input, as always. Burns and scalds: Since I’ve already got Lavender in the kit, I’ll let it take care of the minor burns and scalds. And while I’ve blogged about the wonders of Cantharis 30C, I don’t want to make this kit too unwieldy. Cuts and scrapes: Lavender again. It’s the Zeus of the Aromatherapy … Continue reading
Posted in Allergies, Aromatherapy, Ear Infection, Holistic Home Remedies, Homeopathy
Tagged cantharis, cuts, diaper rash, diarrhea, dry eye, ear oil, garlic, lavender, minor burns, mullein, nappy rash, pink eye, scrapes, stye
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A Holistic Mama’s First Aid Kit
Last week I asked, “What’s in a Holistic Mama’s First Aid Kit?” Thank you to my Facebook Likers for adding to my list of potential “emergencies” to watch out for…I’ve now expanded my list to include some I forgot: teething (how could I forget teething, I’ve only been living it forever), diarrhea, eye irritation, gas (this one brought a smile to my face, as in, “Oh no, the baby farted! Call 911!”), and diaper rash. So I now think I have my list of must-haves (besides the necessary gauze bandages, etc.): Bee stings: My first thought is the homeopathic remedy … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, First Aid, Holistic Home Remedies
Tagged apis mellifica, arnica, bee stings, broken bones, bruises, comfrey, helichrysm, immortelle, insect bites, insect stings, lavender
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List of Toxic, Hazardous Essential Oils
Just because essential oils come from plants, and plants come from nature, doesn’t mean they’re not potent or potentially harmful. I’m printing a list of essential oils (I’ll abbreviate EO going forward) that you must never use because the risks outweigh the benefits. I recommend staying away from these, for the safety of yourself and your children/family. Bitter almond (Prunus dulcis var. amara): Also known as prussic acid or cyanide, this is a well-known poison. I remember a chilling Roald Dahl short story in which a sweet old lady used this to poison guests in her inn and “stuff” them – … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Toxic Essential Oils
Tagged bitter almond, boldo leaf, brown camphor, calamus, essential oils, hazardous, horseradish, jaborandi, mugwort, mustard, pennyroyal, rue, sassafras, savin, southernwood, tansy, thuja, toxic, wintergreen, wormseed, wormwood, yellow camphor
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Becoming crunchy: I signed up for EarthBaby’s compostable diaper service
I have a confession to make: so far, my baby has been toxic for the environment. She’s been wearing conventional, single-use diapers that are ending up in a landfill somewhere (they may be from Whole Foods, but I know that doesn’t make a difference). I know, I know, shame on me! I DO feel ashamed, actually, to know that I am contributing to the solid-waste nightmare that is “disposable” diapers. WHY did I make such a decision, especially when I own 3 Bum Genius reusable cloth diapers? Three reasons, actually. I can’t figure out how the heck to use the … Continue reading
Posted in Eco-Friendly & Green Living
Tagged cloth diapering, compostable, diaper service, EarthBaby, reusable
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