Is Your Child Eating Magnesium-Rich Foods? by Jane Sheppard Children who are not eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods – nuts, green vegetables, beans, peas, and whole grains – may have a mild magnesium deficiency. The typical American processed diet doesn’t provide enough magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can show up as irritability, agitation, anxiety, decreased attention span,…
Special Diets Have Indeed Helped Many Autistic Children Improve A recent article by the Associated Press contained this terribly misleading headline and incorrect reporting: Panel: Special diets don’t fight autism – A new report dismisses connections between the disorder and children’s digestion. This type of misleading headline and biased reporting can make us all crazy….
Vitamin D Levels Vitamin D is critically important for brain development and for preventing disease. Many children have low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency may be a factor in many health issues children are experiencing these days. There is a lot a parent should know about supplementation to provide adequate vitamin D levels. Here…
By Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCH Excerpt from Child Health Guide: Holistic Pediatrics for Parents, North Atlantic Books, 2005 Most pediatricians will insist on treating strep throat with antibiotics. The specific organism is Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus. The effectiveness of antibiotics for recovery from strep throat has been controversial, with early studies showing no effect…
John Jacob Cannell MD Executive Director, Vitamin D Council In the last 3 years, an increasing amount of research suggests that some of the damage done by Vitamin D deficiency is done in-utero, while the fetus is developing. Much of that damage may be permanent, that is, it can not be fully reversed by taking…
Teen Girls’ Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetics Chemicals Adolescent exposures to cosmetic chemicals of concern Published September 24, 2008 by Environmental Working Group Laboratory tests reveal adolescent girls across America are contaminated with chemicals commonly used in cosmetics and body care products. Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families – phthalates,…
by Jane Sheppard See our recommendation for the safest sunscreen that is natural and non-toxic for babies and children – See Below Since my daughter and I both have fair skin and freckles, there are times we have to use sunscreen. I had to find the safest sunscreen available that is natural and non-toxic. While…
By Susan Perri, Clinical Herbalist Your little one is finally here, to enjoy and cherish. In the cozy space of the first intimate moments of growing into each other, both mother and baby can benefit from natural and non-invasive remedies for the common postpartum complaints. Colic Current research shows no link between colic and digestive…
Randall Neustaedter, OMD, LAc, CCH An injection of vitamin K (1.0 mg) is routinely administered to all newborns to prevent unexpected bleeding caused by low levels of vitamin K-dependent blood clotting factors. Vitamin K is present in green vegetables, vegetable oils, and dairy products, but intake or supplementation during pregnancy does not ensure prevention of…
By Susan Perri, Clinical Herbalist Eye Care Your birth attendant will most likely advise you that antibiotic eye ointment, usually erythromycin, is to be applied to the newborn’s eyes as a precaution against any bacteria which may have been transmitted from the birth canal to the baby’s eyes. Bacteria that cause syphilis and gonorrhea can…
Christa Novelli Mothering Magazine, Issue 121, Nov/Dec 2003 Most women who have been pregnant in the last few years are familiar with the terms Group B Strep (for Group B Streptococcus), or GBS. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that all pregnant…
Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCH It is standard procedure at hospital births to vigorously suction newborns’ respiratory passages if the amniotic fluid is stained with meconium. This is done to prevent meconium aspiration syndrome, a condition where meconium that enters the lungs may result in pneumonia, a collapsed lung, or various types of lung dysfunction….