Here's The Plan

So a friend of mine and I have been talking recently about vitamins and supplements and which ones are the best, which ones to put our family on, and which ones are affordable for our limited budgets. There are so many products out there that it's all so overwhelming researching it. I want to get the most for my money nutritionally speaking. Not all brands are the best or comparable to other brands. Just because it says "All Natural" doesn't mean it is. I prefer to have supplements that are not sweetened with fructose.

I talked to our local chiropractor about what supplements children (2 years and older) should be on and she recommend a good quality fish oil, a good quality multivitamin, and a probiotic. Now, when I say good quality, I am not referring to the GuumiBear vitamins from Wal-Mart that are full of artificial colors and flavorings. They are not worth the money. I highly recommend a whole food vitamin with maximum absorption without added sugar, preservatives, colors, or flavorings.

Libby is currently on a powdered probiotic, a liquid fish oil, and "Catalyn", which is explained below. I am researching alternative products that are cheaper, but still a great product.

Kellie, our chiropractor sold us a whole food supplement for kids (similar to a multivitamin) from the company Standard Process called "Catalyn" chewable. Libby was even taking this one at 14 months just smashed and added to her food. Now that she has teeth she can easily chew it. It has 19,000 phytonutrients! Awesome stuff, but it's a little pricey for me to keep buying it. So I found an alternative that our whole family can take. Children simply take half the dose. It's an organic liquid vitamin. And it fits our budget. It only costs $16.26 for 30 oz. So no need to buy three different vitamins for all our needs. This one will do the trick.

I also found her a chewable softgel fish oil at $17.99 for 180

softgels by Nordic Naturals.

Garden of Life also has "Primal Defense" for kids which is a probiotic powder for $16.25. Children can start taking that as soon as they can

start other liquids besides formula or breast milk, which is around six months of age.

So, I was able to find three different products with a price that fits our budget.

Here are a few brands that I highly trust that I myself have taken personally or my family has taken. This list is not exhaustive, but I simply can't list everything.

Garden of Life (excellent products. A little on the pricey end)

Nordic Naturals (makes great products for kids)

Standard Process (available only through health food stores or licensed health care professionals)

Integrative Therapeutics (again, only available through health care professionals).

So what am I taking you ask? Well, I am simply just going to take a good multivitamin as I described above and fish oil softgels at 180 softgels for $12.72. I love yogurt and sour cream so I get my probiotics in that way. Be sure and eat yogurt that is free from high fructose corn syrup, the ingredient in most store bought yogurt. I buy the organic variety at Wal-Mart without added antibiotics and hormones.

Where am I getting all these supplements at such affordable costs? http://www.vitacost.com/. They sell everything from vitamins, bath and body supplies, to food, to books, etc. They are well below retail price and shipping is only $4.99 no matter how much you order. So head on over there and check out there products.

Included in my order (which I will purchase when Joey gets paid this week) is all natural toothpaste without flouride (that's another post), deodorant without aluminum (that's another post), all natural baby products, and other bath care products. I currently purchase my toothpaste and deodorant from Wal-Mart both from the company Tom's of Maine, but vitacost has them much cheaper.

This is the toothpaste I am getting for Libby without flouride.

Hope this info isn't too overwhelming, but rather helpful in helping you decide the best products for your family's needs. Every family is different and the needs different and the budgets different so do what you can afford.

More to come in a later post information about aluminum and flouride.

Grapefruit seed extract

Due to GSE's anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-biotic properties, it is safely used to treat a number of internal and external infections, parasites, fungus, viruses and bacteria in humans and animals. It is yellow-amber in color and comes out in drop form that you mix in water. It is virtually tasteless. I mix it in with Libby's juice and she never even knows it's there.

It detoxifies, enhances and supports the immune system. It is also helpful in alkalizing (raising the ph) the blood which is vitally important because viruses, bacteria and even cancer can not survive in an alkaline system. Though lemons, limes, and grapefruit are chemically acidic, when they are metabolized by the body they have an alkalizing effect. One easy way I have found to alkalize my body is to you squeeze half of a lemon or lime in my ice water. I also purchased ph strips at a health food to test my acidity levels and they weren't too bad but not where it should be. I know of several post-cancer patients who are very faithful in drinking their lemon/lime water to help level out their body so cancer can not survive again.

It is safe and non-toxic for adults and children. It would take 4,000 times the normal dose of GSE to produce a 50% chance of poisoning according to a website I was researching.

It is used internally for yeast infections and an overgrowth of candida (yeast) in the body, colds, bladder infections, chronic inflammation (indicates a weakened immune system), parasites and many other things.

It is used externally for fungal infections of the feet, nails, and skin. Use it as a spray (use 10-20 drops in distilled or boiled water and put into a spray bottle) for cuts, burns, insect bites and wounds. It will stop an infection dead. It can be used as a facial cleaner and used to treat acne which a lot of times is caused by bacterial infections.

*The dosage listed on the bottle is anywhere from 10-20 drops but it doesn't matter. You can't overdose on it.*

If you're around someone who is sick, immediately give GSE to yourself and your children as a preventative. It doesn't always guarantee if you won't get sick especially if you're immune system is already compromised from a recent cold, flu, antibiotic treatment, etc.

The Nutribiotic brand to me is the best brand and everyone I know who uses GSE uses that brand. It is cheaper if you order it online here, however if you don't want to mess with ordering you can buy it at your local health food store.

Also, take GSE with you when you're traveling and camping. It can also be used to treat ticks (put the drops directly on the tick and then remove with tweezers), insects bits, first aide spray and water treatment. *Side note: Joey and I don't do that kind of camping or backpacking where we would come into contact with questionable water but if you do then you can use GSE to sanitize water. I don't know that I would feel comfortable doing that. I think I would boil it first if I could and then use that but that's me:)

It can also be used to spray on garden vegetables to detract pests from eating it up. Some of the recipes I found called for mixing it with cayenne pepper so research it before you do it to make sure you get the right amounts.

This is excellent stuff to keep on hand and no home should be without it.

I by no means guarantee any of these treatments, especially if the infection or virus is too far gone to be treated naturally. Sometimes conventional treatment needs to be sought out, however I will try the natural first and then if to no avail, I will seek out conventional treatment as a last resort.

Now, run stock up!!

Honey

*Note: I was searching the Bulk Herb Store and looking in the article archives when I came across this article on Honey. It's health benefits are amazing plus it's sweet, so what can better than that? It's something most people always have on hand and around our house honey is a "sweet" word...no pun intended. We like it on homemade biscuits, I put it in my cornbread before I bake it (it's more like cake when I'm done, but it's ooo sooo good,) various sweet recipes, I use in my homemade bread and the list goes on and on. Try using it in place of white sugar in recipes. If you do, reduce the amount of water by 1/4 c. for every 1 c. honey you use.


Honey, Do You Love Me?
by Rebekah Joy Pearl Anast
November 2005

When I was a kid, Dad occasionally referred to the jar of raw honey on our table as “bee vomit” in order to alarm the youngest sibling who may not yet know where honey comes from. In spite of the horrid mental image his words conjured, we all loved his Cinnamon-honey toast, and stood in line waiting for our share, glass of milk and plate in hand.

The list of health benefits in honey continues to grow, as scientists and home-schoolers alike discover what third world countries have experientially known for centuries.

What is Honey?
Honey is the nectar of the herbs and flowers that grow wild in the fields and woods. The benefits of hundreds of herbs are carried in the form of nectar in the stomach of the bee where it is subtly altered by the bee’s digestive enzymes in ways that modern science has been unable to explain. New compounds are created by this process before the honey is regurgitated in the hive, concentrated by evaporation, and stored in honeycomb.
Honey contains (among other things) a complex assortment of enzymes, organic acids, esters, antibiotic agents, trace minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, hormones, and antimicrobial compounds. One pound of the average honey contains 1333 calories (compared with white sugar at 1748 calories), 1.4 grams of protein, 23 milligrams of calcium, 73 milligrams of phosphorus, 4.1 milligrams of iron, 1 milligram of niacin, and 16 milligrams of vitamin C, and vitamin A, beta carotene, the complete complex of B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, iodine, sodium, copper, manganese, high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, and formic acid... and the list goes on. Honey contains more than 75 different compounds! Many of the remaining substances in honey are so complex (4-7 percent of the honey) that they have yet to be identified.

Because of the high natural sugar content, honey absorbs moisture in wounds, making it hard for bacteria to survive. Many honeys contain large amounts of hydrogen peroxide which is regularly used to disinfect cuts and scrapes. Most raw honeys contain propolis, a compound that can kill bacteria. In laboratory tests, honey put on seven types of bacteria killed all seven.

My Honey’s Honey
A couple of months ago my husband scraped a large area of skin off of his calf muscle while playing soccer. The scrape became infected within 24 hours. He was running a fever, his leg was inflamed, and a red streak was beginning to crawl up his leg, indicating a serious problem. I had never seen an infection move so quickly. Garlic had been our cure-all for months, and Gabe began eating large amounts of it. He put garlic poultices on the wound as well, and the infection halted in its tracks. But it did not seem to be healing. The garlic treatment had to be almost continual to keep the infection down, and the healing progress was too slow. We read, Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner, about honey being effective in treating gangrene and warmed up a bowl of raw honey. We mixed Comfrey, Goldenseal, Echinacea, and Garlic into the warm honey and let it sit a few minutes before heavily coating the wound with this mixture. Gabe said the mix did not irritate the wound at all. He left it on for an hour or more at a time. Immediately, after the first treatment I noticed the wound had shrunk, and the skin color had darkened to that “blueness of a wound” that tells you the infection is gone. A few more treatments healed the wound in a remarkably short period of time. The next soccer accident was treated with honey alone, with the same good results.

What is Raw Honey?
There is a difference between raw honey straight from the hive, and processed honey which you buy in stores. Any honey is good for you, but raw honey is by far the best because it has not been through a heating process (over appr. 120 degrees) to melt the sugar, which also kills the wonderful enzymes and bacteria that are so rich in healing properties. Raw honey can be purchased by local bee farmers, and even via the Internet; although shipping can be expensive due to the weight.

Honey's Hurrah
In India, honey and cinnamon is used as a "Ram Ban" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of ailments. Cinnamon powder is mixed into honey; usually two parts honey, one part Cinnamon and eaten with chappati (bread) two or three times a day. The following list (and more) is available at www.stakich.com/hfolder/honeyinmedicine.htm
Heart Diseases: Reduces cholesterol, revitalizes veins, relieves loss of breath, strengthens the heart.
Arthritis: Massaged on painful areas will reduce pain within a few minutes. If taken daily, will considerably reduce arthritis.
Bladder Infections: Drink with lukewarm water. Destroys infection in the bladder.
Toothache: Apply paste to aching tooth 3 times daily until pain is gone (I think chewing on cloves works faster).
Colds: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon Cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic coughs, colds, and clear the sinuses.
Stomach ache and Gas: Honey taken with cinnamon powder eases stomach ache and heals stomach ulcers, combating the bacteria that causes ulcers. According to studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with Cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas. Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food, relieves acidity and aids digestion of heavy meals.
Skin: (This seemed drastic to me, but...) Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the facial skin before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it will cure acne.
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
Weight Loss: 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one-cup water. Drinking this mixture regularly does not allow fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

Sweet Recipes
Personally, I love a teaspoon of honey in a cup of hot chamomile tea in the evening. And honey in oatmeal is a sweet breakfast experience in our house. I enjoy recipes with honey, and would love to read some of yours. Here are some of my favorites:

Citrus Honey: Combine a 1" × 1/2" strip of both orange rind and lemon rind, 1 T. fresh orange juice, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice and simmer in a pan. Strain and discard the rinds. Add to 1 c. warm honey and stir to mix. Serve over pancakes or waffles.
Cinnamon Honey Toast:Drizzle warm honey on fresh cut slices of buttered bread, sprinkle with cinnamon powder, and toast on a cookie sheet in the broiler.

Not for Babies
The digestive system of a baby is not ready to process honey. I don't know when it would be considered safe, but I'd guess not before the baby's first birthday.