Empowering Children through AIKIDO

Siblings to a child with a disability sometimes feel like they are on the back burner. They diligently watch mom or dad take their sibling to and from therapy, specialists, and special groups. If you are trying a special diet, most likely they too will need to adjust to new foods, and forgo some of their favorites. Frustrations may add up as the sibling doesn’t ‘act’ like other children. I have found that in the autistic family construct that it is critical to the well-being of the non-disabled children to get appropriate extra attention and consideration.

So, last year we enrolled our non-disabled daughter in Aikido, a traditional Japanese martial art founded by O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. We have found this experience to contribute towards her sense of self and confidence while appropriately gaining some attention from the parent that attends the dojo with her. She has been able create friendships among peers within a non-competitive environment.

Aikido fosters inner strength while teaching how to respond to an attacker by using the attackers force against them. Aikido teaches balance, harmony, strength and integrity; all attributes a sibling to a child with a disability needs.

Our daughter just passed her 13^th kyu, yellow belt promotion. She was so proud of herself and carried herself with poise and confidence. This is an experience that has helped center her energy and nurture her being— A perfect vehicle to empower a person who is faced with the challenges that come with a sibling with a disability.

We are fortunate to have an Aikido class for children near our home, Hilliard Martial Arts Center. If you are not so fortunate there are plenty of options available to nurture your child— you just make need to be innovative and resourceful to find them. I suggest starting with a simple “date” with the child to the park or zoo. Maybe a special lunch for two, a walk around the block, a bike ride, art class or a mom & me yoga class. Your local parks and recreation facilities may have options available for parents and children.

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Common Cold- Home Remedies

A common cold is an infection of your upper respiratory tract. It is relatively harmless in low-risk populations, but it usually doesn’t feel that way. Any one of more than 200 viruses can cause a common cold, so symptoms tend to vary greatly. Adults are likely have a common cold 2-4 times per year; while children tend to have one 8-10 times per year (especially preschoolers).

Using common sense can help reduce your chances of ‘catching a cold’:

• Wash your hands thoroughly and often, and teach your children the importance of hand washing. Sing the ABC’s with younger children while washing hands to teach the proper time they should be lathering. Use a paper towel rather than a cloth one to dry your hands.

• Keep kitchen and bathroom counter tops, desks, phones, toys and computer keyboards clean with sanitizing wipes.

• Wash children’s toys.

• Teach your children to always sneeze and cough into tissues. (Discard immediately.) You can also teach children to sneeze into the bend of their elbow when they don’t have a tissue.

• Don’t share drinking glasses or eating utensils with others.

• Avoid others who are sick.

• Choose your childcare center wisely. The setting should have a sound hygiene practice and clear policies about keeping sick children home.

• Make a serious effort to manage your stress, which lowers immunity and may make you more susceptible to illness.

• Take health days rather than sick days.

• Boost your natural immunity with regular exercise, a healthy nutrition and holistic chiropractic care.

If you do experience a cold there are many things that have been known to help ease the symptoms:

• Drink lots of fluids- pure water, herbal tea and warm soup are all good choices. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarette smoke, which can cause dehydration and aggravate our symptoms.

• Chicken soup- generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children. Now scientists have put chicken soup to the test, discovering that it does seem to help relieve cold and flu symptoms in 2 ways per the Mayo Clinic. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophilis-immune system cells that participate in the body’s inflammatory response. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the amount of time viruses are in contact with the nasal lining.

• Get rest- consider staying home from work yourself or with your child. This will give you a chance to rest as well as reduce the chances that you’ll infect others.

• Soothe the throat- gargling with warm salt water several times per day or drinking warm lemon water with honey may help soothe a sore throat and relieve a cold. Also, colloidal silver may soothe a sore throat, strep throat, pink eye, minor cuts and bruises… we like Sovereign Silver at whole foods.

• Vitamin C- taking lower doses 200-300 milligrams- may shorten a cold’s duration. Amounts exceeding 2,000 milligrams may cause diarrhea and nausea. Ask your pediatrician how much to give your child.

• Echinacea- supports the immune system.

• Zinc- an essential nutrient that plays an important role in the maintenance of the immune system and cell growth and repair. Large range of zinc products on the market, including lozenges, nasal sprays and ice blocks for kids.

• Garlic- can help prevent colds and help reduce symptoms because t contains a potent antibiotic call allicin. Best to consume fresh garlic within an hour of chopping it.

• Fresh Pineapple- is wonderful for colds, less acidic not upsetting the stomach. It contains more vitamin C and breaks down mucus better.

• Grapefruit- helps detoxify the liver which is the front line to the immune system and when the immunity id impaired, you need something that is alkaline and not acidic to detoxify it.

• Adjust your room’s temperature and humidity- keep your room warm but not overheated. If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. Be sure to keep it clean to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds. Cold viruses thrive in dry conditions-another reason why colds are more common in the winter.

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Recipe of the Week: GFCF Smoothie

2 medium Bananas
1 cup Mixed Frozen Fruit - blueberries, blackberries and strawberries
2 cups Almond Milk
1 teaspoon Kids Liquid Dolphin Pals Multi-vitamin and mineral complex
1/2 teaspoon Children's DHA - Nordic Naturals Omega-3 supplement
1/2 teaspoon Green Super Food - Amazing Grass Chocolate Drink Powder
dash of Pure Sea Salt


Put all ingrediants in a bender and mix until a nice consistency. Serve in a glass with straw. Both of my girls love this with their dinner.

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P.S. Why is my Child Agitated?

From an early age my oldest child seemed to have mood swings. We would nervously chuckle over our concern that she was like a mini Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde. She would be sweet as pie, then without warning she would be bouncing off of the walls. My husband and I were baffled as the agitation increased. Where could she be learning this behavior?

We found that we were asking the wrong question; it was not where she was learning the behavior as so much as what was causing the behavior. About 2 years ago we decided to look at food sensitivities as a source of this agitation. Food sensitivity is not an allergic reaction, but intolerance to a food substance.

We immediately thought of food dyes and sugar, but surprisingly their elimination did not affect this behavior. Someone suggested removing potassium sorbate from her diet. Belonging to the University of Google, I started there, and found little information supporting my friends theory.

At my ends wit, I decided I had nothing to lose by removing this preservative from her diet. Nothing that is, but the hardship of reading every label of food that crossed her lips. As we began eliminating it we realized she seemed calmer. Or was that wishful thinking?

After the first month we realized she had a complete personality make over. No longer crawling in her own skin, but peaceful. We decided to test the waters and let her have something containing Potassium Sorbate, and to our shock we realized this was indeed real!

We have since completely eliminated potassium sorbate from our diets. On rare occasions she will come home from school in “a mood”. All I have to do is ask, “Did you eat something mommy didn’t pack in your lunch?” and inevitably she will say, “yeah, so-n-so brought in pizza/cupcakes/yogurt”. And I know to have more patience with her that evening as her body works through the intolerance she is experiencing.

If your child has ADHD, autism, aggression or is prone to mood swings, try eliminating potassium sorbate to see if it makes the same difference for you. (Don’t forget that it could be effecting mom and dad, too.)

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What Is That Smell?

During a rare lunch excursion, my husband and I saw this young mother walking down the sidewalk with her baby girl. At first glance, it seemed enduring; she was toting a packed diaper bag that I am sure was full of snacks, sippy cups, diapers, and toys. She was a mommy on a mission- certainly this was an outing she had carefully orchestrated. She was just about to enter a store when it dawned on me that this was their destination...

Without hesitation she pulled open the door to the nail salon and entered. I immediately started experiencing olfactory memories of the salons I had visited in the '80's and early '90's. The intense aroma of chemicals and acrylic dust particles in the air were always nauseating to me. I had to wonder what effect, if any, this experience would have on a small child. So I decided to research...

Firstly, I couldn't come up with any uniform answer on why the tech wears a mask, so I am going to stick with my thoughts of "if you can smell something - it is entering the body". Secondly, I became more concerned about the polish that this little girl would have stroked across her tiny delicate fingernails which would undoubtedly end up in her mouth.

The compound used to prevent chipping in fingernail polish is phthalates.... these are the same chemical compounds that gives your new car that smell everyone loves so much. Despite the warm and fuzzy feelings it brings us, phthalates, a worldwide platicizer, has been linked to immune disorders, infertility, cancer and other debilitating diseases. The CDC released a report in 2000 implicating concerns about developing fetuses of women who use cosmetics that contain phthalates during pregnancy.

So, if the CDC is concerned about the phthalates in cosmetics to your developing fetus, is there justified concern about phthalates and your younglings who are still developing the brains and nervous systems outside the womb?

I read compelling information presented by Donna Jackson Nakazawa in The Autoimmune Epidemic. Nakazawa reveals that the The European Union has been proactive in removing phthalates from nail polish, but the US regulators continue to wait for more burden of proof before taking such a stance. However, while the bureaucratic red tape is being filtered through some manufacturers took it upon themselves to remove the phthalates: Proter & Gamble and Estee Lauder.

As I type this I sport chipped purple, blue, and red finger nail polish from our recent girls' night featuring a mock salon with home manicures. I suggest that the next time you want to get a manicure with your daughter that you too select a home manicure with a nail polish that is clearly labeled phthalate-free. If you go to the salon where they do not have to label there products as such, you risk exposure to a harmful chemical to yourself and your daughter.

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Autism Omnibus Trial

Three families (of more than 5300 who have filed a court claim to prove that childhood vaccines caused their children's autism) had their day in court. Last week The US Court of Federal Claims ruled that the Vaccines did not cause the Autism. The cases were ruled by three federal judges who work for the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

• Denise Vowell, a former U.S. Army chief trial judge
• Patricia Campbell-Smith, a former environmental lawyer and clerk at the Federal Claims Court
• George Hastings, a former tax claims expert

Each judge separately ruled against the defense that autism is directly linked to vaccine injury. The outcome is a victory to the pro-vaccine community, but may bring undue ridicule and criticism to the families living with autism.

After reading several articles on the court ruling, several things stand out to me. The first is that the three judges all work for the government's VICP. Does not anyone else recognize this as a conflict of interest?

Secondly, the Secretary Of Health and Human Services was named the formal respondent in each case. Another conflict of interest?


Lastly, if there is no correlation between autism and vaccines, why IS there a Vaccine Injury Compensation Program? No article mentioned that by August 1997, just 11 years after the Vaccine Injury Compensation Act was passed, that the United States government compensated $800 million to parents of vaccine damaged children or to parents whose children died as a direct result of vaccine injections. These families witnessed their healthy children go in for a wellness checkup with a routine innoculation, and regress into the condition of autism. Many suggest this is a coincidence... Really? 1 out of 132 kids is a coincidence?

The VICP states that there are 5,152 cases in the Autism Omnibus Trial awaiting adjudication. Some families have withdrawn there filings possibly filing claims against the manufacturers and some have been dismissed because of the statue of limitations.

In the mean time, do your own research.

Scientific Studies Linking Vaccines to Autism

Autism Studies & Related Medical Conditions

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Be Still

Be still... How many parents find this statement challenging to embrace?

Let’s face it; on any given day the last thing we are thinking about is being still. We have a laundry list of things to do longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls with lunches to pack, socks to sort, special dinners to prepare, extracurricular activities to organize, arguments to mediate....

However, I suggest that if you just took 10 - 30 minutes a day to “be still” and quiet your mind that you would better equipped to face the day. The benefits of meditation are unlimited and with no special equipment or space needed it is easy to begin.

• Increases sense of peace

• Decreases Fatigue

• Normalizes Blood Pressure

• Reduces Anxiety

• Decreases Muscle Tension and Headaches

• Builds Self-Confidence

• Increases Serotonin Production which Influences Mood and Behavior

• Helps in Chronic Diseases like Allergies , Arthritis etc.

• Reduces Pre- Menstrual Syndrome

• Enhances the Immune System

• Reduces Emotional Distress

• Increases Self Discovery

I recently asked a friend for some recommended tools for meditation. She suggested that I needed rest more than to meditate. As I explored my options, I found that resting WAS my meditation. It was in the act of resting and quieting my mind that I was able to “Be still”.

In the act of “Being Still” I was able to recharge my drained batteries and then return to the life of mindful parenting.

In the act of “Being Still” you too can turn off the some 65,000 thoughts we have each day and be with yourself in a space that heals, regenerates, and creates.

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HFCS adds to the Autism-Mercury debate

This past weekend I was eager to read Dr. Mercola's article, Most Common Source of Calories in U.S. is LOADED With Mercury. The article revealed that High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is laced with mercury through the use of caustic soda while separating the corn kernel from the corn starch.

The more I contemplated this, the more I recognized madness! I remembered how after watching KING CORN (which illustrates the use caustic acid) that we began to eliminate HFCS from our consumption. During this process we realized that this cheap sweetener was in most processed foods on the market today. The average adult American consumes 48 grams of HFCS per day.

According to Mercola, this study found that there was 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms mercury per gram of HFCS. If you do the math you will see that the average American adult consumes enough HFCS to expose them to 0.24 to 27.36 micrograms of mercury per day. Now, consider an expectant mother, she will consume over a 40 week gestation as much as 1,094 micrograms of mercury just through her consumption of HFCS. What effects do you think that has on her developing baby?

If you look at my specific situation, not only did I consume foods containing HFCS, but I also received 2 Rho-Gam shots laced with mercury (a vaccine designed for expectant mothers who lack the protein rhesus-negative in their blood). We regretfully did not research the RhoGam inoculation. I received these injections subjecting my daughter to massive amounts of thimerosal while her brain and nervous system was developing during gestation.

We will never know whether or not this assault against our daughter’s developing body caused her autism, however we acknowledge that it most certainly contributed to the condition. As did the consumption of not only tuna and salmon regularly during pregnancy, but also the consumption of many convenient products containing HFCS (breads, ice cream, crackers, restaurant food, ect.). Not to mention that I have 8 amalgam fillings. Needless to say, I had toxic levels of mercury in my system during her pregnancy.

There are also No efficacy studies looking at the effects of maternal vaccinations with fetal development. I think autism is a result of vaccinations, pesticides, artificial ingredients in our foods, energetic chaos in our environment, and, now, HFCS. To me this article only adds to the autism-mercury debate.

The most recent stats I have seen state that 1 out of 132 children have autism spectrum disorder. When I was my daughter's age 4 out of 10,000 kids had this developmental disorder. What has caused such a rapid increase in 30 years? It is time that we as a nation start taking responsibility and start eliminating these known sources of toxins.

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A crisis in America and it's not the economy!

I have decided to start blogging in order to reach out to others and educate them about things that seem so obvious to me, but not to others. For instance, did you know there is a crisis occurring in America? No it has nothing to do directly with the current condition of our economy. But worse, it does have to do with our children.

Our children are becoming more sick, disconnected and violent than ever before in our history. At alarming numbers they are being diagnosed with autism, ADHD, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and the list goes on. Instead of doing something about this, infrastructures are masking it and cashing in. Have you ever wondered what would happen if we started finding cures for these health crisis's?

I remember vividly in the 7th grade my English Lit teacher telling my class they were on the verge of finding a cure for cancer. Now, it is 25 years later and the condition of cancer continues to claim lives daily. What would happen if a cure was discovered? A more intense economic resession would be occuring. Why? Think about all of the Oncologists, Radiologists, Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, Janitors, Receptionists, Lab Workers, Nutritionists, Ect. that depend upon the cancer industry. I propose that it would cost us far too much in dollars and jobs than the people in charge are willing to pay.

When my dad died of pancreatic cancer in 1996 I realized that this system was not as it seemed. I, in turn, became proactive in my health -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Now that I am a mom I am even more vigilant about our daily habits and mindful about what we put in and on our bodies. I challenge others to become more proactive in their health and the health of their children!

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