5 NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR A TEETHING BABY

5 NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR A TEETHING BABY

5 NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR A TEETHING BABY

Now that baby Vienna is almost six months old I’ve had a few months of trying different teething remedies. She started with symptoms around 2.5 months and her first bottom tooth poked through about a week ago. We were pretty excited!! It’s a sharp tooth though — ouch. No more munching on mommy’s finger. Thankfully we’ve had no breastfeeding mishaps.

As a natural mama and holistic nutritionist it is always my goal to seek out natural remedies first. From red cheeks, irritability to drooling to restlessness, pain and even fever — these are all common symptoms that can happen from teething. These are symptoms that can be addressed naturally and effectively. In fact, Vienna felt like she was burning up one night so before I took her to the walk-in-clinic I called “Telehealth” and a nurse rest assured me it will pass and just to keep a close watch on her for any changes. Now of course, you must always be careful with fevers which is why I wasn’t trying to treat it naturally until I had confidence from a nurse that it was not high enough to warrant medication.

After doing extensive research and testing out different options, these are the 5 best natural solutions for lessening the symptoms associated with teething in this video (links all the products below). I have personally found them to be very effective with my babe.

Chew Bead Necklace: The necklace I’m wearing is awesome because Vienna LOVES chewing on it and the counter-pressure on her gums relieves pain. It’s made of silicone, not plastic. I also find it handy because when she’s nursing, instead of pulling on my hair she grabs the necklace — it’s a good distraction!

Amber Necklace: This has helped to lessen the drooling. These necklaces have some controversy because some people worry they are a choking hazard. However, you take it off at night and don’t leave it on your baby unattended. The length is perfectly thought out because it can’t get tangled on anything as it is pretty short.

Mesh Ice Teething Feeder: If your baby isn’t on solids yet, just pop in some ice. The cold will feel good on her gums and relieve pain. Once your babe is old enough and has tried out different foods you can add frozen fruit.

Camilia: This is an effective homeopathic medicine. It helps with irritability and restlessness. When Vienna’s cheeks get super red and I can tell she’s restless this really helps. I have been using it as a preventative as well.

LOVE! This needs no explanation. Love is a proven endorphin producer which is the best natural pain reliever in the world. When Vienna is a cranky-pants because she is suffering (those cheeks give it away!) I just give her extra hugs and kisses.

I hope you find these tips useful mamas. Please do let me know what you’ve found to be helpful.

Wishing you joyous health!

Author,

JOY MCCARTHY

MELANOMA RATES DROPPING AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENS

Melanoma, characterized by mole-like cancerous growths, is on the rise in the U.S. The most serious form of skin cancer, it’s particularly rising among women and seniors. But what about kids?

While melanoma is significantly less common among children, five to six kids in every million develop melanoma in their youth. It takes just a few blistering sunburns to double the chance a child will develop skin cancer in her lifetime.

But while studies in years past suggested the rate of melanoma in children was also rising, the newest research says the opposite. Last summer, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and its affiliated medical center reported in the Journal of Pediatrics that the rate of melanoma diagnoses in children and adolescents is actually declining.

Researchers analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry of the National Cancer Institute on more than 1,100 people under 20 years old who were diagnosed with melanoma between 2000 and 2010. Melanoma rates dropped by nearly 12 percent from 2004 to 2010, with the largest decline among teens and boys.

The researchers can’t pinpoint one particular cause of this trend, but growing awareness about sun safety may be responsible. Research indicates that teenagers are taking more steps, such as applying sunscreen, to protect themselves from damaging sun exposure. The authors also suggest that parents are becoming more proactive in safeguarding their young children.

They speculate that a negative trend may contribute to the decline as well: children, particularly boys, are spending more time playing video games and watching TV. That’s nothing to celebrate, as playing indoors may mean less harmful sun exposure, but also less exercise and other physical activity.

Whatever the cause, we hope the rates of pediatric melanoma keep dropping. The National Cancer Institute estimates more than 75,000 cases of adult melanoma in the U.S. this year. A lower risk of pediatric melanoma could mean fewer diagnoses when these children reach adulthood.

We encourage parents to continue to take healthy steps to protect their children from harmful sun exposure. Here are some helpful tips for the whole family:

Cover up

Wear protective clothing such as hats, visors, dark sunglasses, long sleeves and pants to block harmful UV rays.

Stay in the shade

While outdoors, seek shelter under overhangs, canopies, trees and awnings. Stroller hoods and umbrellas offer extra protection for little ones. Keep infants under six months out of direct sun.

Wear sunscreen

Look for sunscreen lotions – not spray or sticks – with zinc or titanium as the active ingredients (avoid oxybenzone or retinyl A). Apply liberally and reapply frequently, especially when swimming, sweating or playing in water.

Watch the clock

Harmful UV rays peak midday, so schedule errands and playtime during morning or late afternoon.

Be safe on the go

Pack diaper bags, purses and backpacks with sun safety essentials such as hats and sunscreen. Keep extra at your school, office or in the car.

COUGHS, COLDS & CONGESTION: LEARN NEW HOME REMEDIES FOR YOUR KIDS

It’s that time of year again for many of us – less daylight, busy holiday schedules and colds and flus making the rounds.  The discomfort (and even pain) associated with congestion is one of the most common symptoms.  (Not to mention that the inability to breath is just plain annoying.) This post featureshome remedies for congestion that will hopefully get you breathing right and on the fast track to healing the next time you’re battling congestion.

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #1 – Tomato Tea

From Earth Clinic, a great site for home remedies, the top choice for sinus congestion is a recipe called “Jean’s Famous Tomato Tea“.  This recipe has received rave reviews for its ability to clear congestion. (Follow the link to read more from Jean and all the feedback from others at Earth Clinic.)

TOMATO TEA RECIPE

2 cups V8 Juice?2-3 cloves Garlic crushed (use more if you can)
?2 T Lemon Juice?Hot Sauce (the more the better, so as much as you can handle)
Mix and heat in a pan or in the microwave.
Sip slowly and re-warm as needed to get the full effects of the fumes. Let it sit in the back of your throat to bathe it. Suck the fumes through your sinuses and also down into your lungs. Its all natural and healthy, so drink as much of it as you want or need until you are SURE the infection is gone. This is past the time when you “feel better.”
This appears to be the best recipe, but from the comments, people often don’t have the right ingredients. Don’t let that hold you back. Use whatever you have available. Below are some substitutes that may not work as well or as fast, but will still help. I’ve listed them by their likely effectiveness:

Tomato Tea Ingredient Substitutes:

V8 Juice – tomato juice, vegetable juice, canned or fresh tomatoes crushed, tomato soup (if really desperate, try another kind of fruit juice, vegetable soup or even chicken soup. You’re aiming for high Vit C content)
Garlic – garlic in olive oil, dehydrated garlic, garlic salt (aiming for the strong anti-bacterial/fungal effects)
Lemon Juice – Fresh lemons, bottled juice, limes, lime juice, oranges, frozen lemonade
Hot Sauce – ANY kind of hot sauce works, fresh hot peppers, cayenne pepper, dried pepper flakes (if really desperate, try horseradish, black pepper or even mustard. You’re aiming for the highly anti-bacterial/fungal properties of capsaicin which is found in hot peppers, and its effectiveness at clearing out the sinuses.)

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #2 – Apple Cider Vinegar

Whether you drink it, inhale it, gargle it or squirt it up your nose, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is another popular choice for treating congestion. For drinking, some folks take a shot of it straight up, others add lemon juice and cayenne, or mix it with water and honey. Popular proportions on Earth Clinic are 6 ounces of water, two tablespoons ACV, two – four teaspoons honey, consumed warm, every 6 to 8 hours.
To inhale ACV, boil some ACV on the stove and breathe the fumes, or mix a drop or two in your saline nose spray. (Make sure not to overdo it, and keep things clean.)  Read more about ACV and sinus congestion at Earth Clinic.

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #3 – Steam – With or Without Herbs

A hot, steamy shower is a godsend when you’re stuffed up, but you can sneak it a little relief in a much smaller area by using a bowl of boiling water tented with a towel. Take a large bowl and add fresh or dried herbs such as eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint or New England Aster. (A few drops of high quality essential oils may also be used, or you can skip herbs altogether, but in my experience they do help.) Pour in boiling water. Lean over bowl and inhale as best you can, tenting your head with a towel to trap the vapors.

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #4 – Hot Tea – Herbal or “Regular”

Hot tea with lemon and honey has been a congestion fighting favorite of mine for years.  Momma always stocked Lipton tea bags, but now I buy my black, green and oolong in bulk, and sometimes enjoy some tulsi(holy basil) tea blends as well.  Lemon is a great mucus clearer on it’s own, and con provide extra vitamin C, and honey is naturally antibacterial, so do include them in your brew.

For extra “oomph”, try herbal tea such as mullein, sage, ginger, peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, wild thyme and blackberry. (Source – New York Sinus Center.)

To make an herbal tea, cover 2 teaspoons dried leaves or 1/4 cup fresh leaves with 1 cup boiling water, steep for five to ten minutes, then strain and enjoy.  (For ginger root, use about a 1/2 inch piece of fresh root, or 1/2 tsp-1 tsp of dried root bits.)  I like to steep in a tea pot or cover my tea mug to keep the vapors from escaping. If you’ve really got a stubborn cough or cold, check out the recipes for Cough-Be-Gone and Sore Throat Syrup and Cold and Flu Tea.

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #5 – Foods

Livestrong.com suggests the following foods to help fight sinus congestion:

Pineapple

Omega 3 Fatty acids (found in cold water fish, nuts, eggs, fish oil, cod oil and flaxseed)

Garlic

Fluids (see hot tea)

Spices and Herbs

Vitamin C

Apple Cider Vinegar

The Holistic Herbal suggests limiting the following foods to reduce mucus:

Dairy products

Grains

Sugar

Potatoes and other starchy root vegetables

Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion #6 -DIY Vapor Rub

Simply take a small amount of coconut oil or palm shortening (about an ounce) and add a good quality essential oil (eucalyptus, mint or wintergreen)  (7-10 drops or more if needed) to get the strength you want and mix well.  Never use essential oil directly on your skin – always use a carrier oil.  Spread on the chest area or dab under the nose. I have found that oil pulling will also help loosen mild congestion, as will salt water gargles, but these are generally less effective than the above remedies, at least for me. Mountain Rose Herbs carries the herbs, spices and oils mentioned above, as well as tea making equipment, salve containers and just about anything else you need to make your own home remedies.

Author,
By Laurie of CommonSenseHome.com

QUENCH SUMMER’S THIRST WITH SAFER DRINKING WATER

No matter where you are in the country these days, chances are it is hot. From pediatricians to summer camp counselors the advice is currently the same: Make sure you keep hydrated. There are some 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth, but when it comes to summer thirst, it’s the tap water that matters. And while most tap water is fit to drink, that’s not always the case.

Though water companies and municipalities check and purify their water, a lot can happen between those tests and your tap. Water may pass through old lead pipes. It might acquire toxic vinyl chloride from PVC pipes. It could be over-chlorinated or contain bacteria picked up along the way. Here’s how to keep your family hydrated with safe water:

First, get a Consumer Confidence Report from your water supplier. All public water systems serving at least 15 connections and 25 year-round residents must supply these annual reports, which summarize your water’s quality at the source.

To make sure it’s arriving in a similarly drinkable state, test your water at a lab like Suburban Water Testing Lab or National Testing Labs or ask your supplier or environmental officials to direct you to a local lab. Testing is tricky because you’ll need to specify the contaminants to check for. Here’s some guidance:

Always test for lead, which remains all too common in water supplies.

If your water company disinfects with chlorine, check for trihalomethanes, toxins created when chlorine reacts with natural organic chemicals in water.

If you live in an agricultural area, look for pesticides.

If you live in an industrialized or urban area, or near a waste dump, research your neighborhood on the Environmental Defense Fund’s Chemical Scorecard which summarizes local toxic releases. Test for any pollutants the Scorecard lists for your zip code.

Well water is different than municipal water. Private well owners should check for nitrates and bacteria. For more information, visit the EPA’s website for private well owners.  If your kids are at a summer camp with well water and you’re concerned, ask the camp owners if they’ve tested their water.

If your water has specific issues, like discoloration or odors, consult this EPA Home Water Testing Fact Sheet to see what your test should cover.

Results will dictate what if any further steps to take. If you need filtration, our Find the Right Water Filter Easy Step will help you secure a safe water supply—the only kind worth drinking to!

Special thanks to Aisha Ikramuddin, who wrote the original June 2007 post from which this has been adapted.

Author,

Alexandra Zissu

4 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR CHILD’S ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Some 6.8 million American children have asthma. Help your child breathe easier with these asthma-fighting tips:

TOP TIPS FOR BEATING SEASONAL ALLERGIES

Are you or your loved ones sneezing, wheezing and reaching for tissues? Welcome to spring – and seasonal allergies.

Every year, pollen and mold trigger uncomfortable allergic reactions from February to early summer across the United States. In severe cases, it can take allergy shots and prescription medications to alleviate the symptoms. For those seeking relief without visiting a doctor, try these tips:

Neti Pot

This teapot-like device can relieve congestion and sinus pressure by flushing mucus out of nasal passages. When used correctly, neti pots are generally considered safe, even for children. To prevent infection, prepare a saline nasal rinse at home. Use distilled or boiled and cooled tap water and clean the device thoroughly between uses. For a hassle-free option, try a ready-to-use nasal spray, available for purchase in drug stores.

Spring Cleaning

Good housecleaning habits can help keep allergies at bay:

Keep windows and doors closed when possible and leave shoes outside.

Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean floors and carpeted surfaces.

Regularly launder outdoor play clothes, bed sheets and pillowcases. Machine dry instead of using the clothes line. Pollen and mold can cling to fabric when it dries slowly.

If your pets spend time outdoors, consider bathing them more frequently during allergy season.

OTC Medications and Herbal Supplements

Antihistamines, nasal steroids, decongestants and cromolyn sodium are all common over-the-counter medications used to treat the symptoms of allergies. Available in spray or capsule form, they work by blocking the release of histamines that trigger allergy symptoms or lowering mucus and sinus pressure.

In clinical trials, some herbal supplements and nutrients, such as butterbur, have shown potential for curbing allergy symptoms. But they may not be as effective or safe as medication, especially for long-term use during allergy season.

Avoid Triggers

If you know what causes your allergies, take steps to avoid the triggers:

Check local weather reports for pollen and mold counts and stay indoors when they’re highest, generally at midday and in the afternoon. Plan kids’ outdoor playtime for the morning.

When you garden or mow the lawn, wear a face mask and goggles to block pollen and mold from entering your nose, mouth and eyes. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology recommends a NIOSH-rated 95 filter mask.

Minimize other allergy triggers such as foods, insect bites and chlorine, which can exacerbate symptoms.

Author,

Megan Boyle