Fresh Air and Optimum Health

We are on the home stretch of winter with Lady Spring just around the corner. I was just feeling the confines of the indoors and longed for fresh air when we were given the gift of such a splendid weekend. After being cooped up for months, we undoubtedly took advantage of the beautiful weather.

With just a few minutes outside and we felt refreshed, invigorated, and alive. This longing to be outside is an innate knowing from within our bodies. Fresh air from forests, sea sides, mountains, waterfalls and nature contain anions (negative ions) which promote the human’s inborn natural healing power promoting...

• Increased Vitality
• Improved Mental Clarity
• Reduction in Pain
• Decreased Irritability
• Energized
• Improved Joints
• Enhanced Metabolism
• Improved Sleep
• Immune System Support
• Improved Sense of Well Being
• Improved Function of the Lung's Protective Cilia
• Improved Relaxation
• Decreased Anxiety
• Lowered Resting Heart Rate
• Decreased Survival of Bacteria and Viruses in the air
• Decreased Severity of Stomach Ulcers

Take advantage of all the benefits of fresh air... Take a daily walk and get outdoors for the health of it.

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DNA Imprinting and Positve Emotions

How much DNA do you have? Well... of course your answer is 100%. Now, the less obvious question is how much DNA does the average human being use? You may be surprised to learn that science has determined that we use a mere 25%! This has baffled the science community for some time now.

However, did you know that when you experience negative emotions (hate, fear, resentment, anger, jealousy, etc.) that the DNA actually gets wound tighter and we use even less? Yes, our DNA potential decreases when we are experiencing negative emotions.

Now on the flip side when we experience positive emotions (love, gratitude, joy, excitement, peace, etc.) our DNA unwinds a bit and we actually tap into additional DNA that the average person typically does not utilize.

We know that DNA has a direct effect on all of life. Right? And we know that light (energy) makes up 99.99999% of all we experience in this life. Everything IS energy, some just vibrates slower than others making them appear solid and tangible.

When Scientists put DNA into a vacuum test tube with just “light” the light photons formed into the DNA strands, when the DNA was removed…. Get a load of this- the photons of light actually stayed in the formation of the DNA after it was removed.

So consider this… wherever we are, whatever we are doing, thinking, saying, or being leaves an imprint of our DNA in the universe. This is science not theory… proven by physicists. If we leave an imprint everywhere we go, wouldn’t we want it to be the imprint of positive emotions and our true DNA potential?

LIVE LIGHTER, LOVE MORE, SHOW GRATITUDE, PRACTICE PEACE, AND EXPAND YOUR POSSIBILITIES....

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Jason McElway: Basketball Hero

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Floortime Approach to Autism

As a parent of a child with ASD I found it frustrating to implement some of the behavioral directives in treating a young child with autism. I wanted to find a way to have meaningful interactions with her that were not conditioned. This frustration ignited me to continue researching other viable options and that is how I stumbled across Engaging Autism: Helping Children Relate, Communicate and Think with the DIR Floortime Approach. This book was written by Dr. Stanley Greenspan after successfully working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Written in manner that it can be used as a tool for parents and providers, this book offers theories behind the causation of autism and strategies to help create meaningful interactions with a child with ASD. One of the things we were able to implement immediately was a concept within the Floortime Approach that allowed us to enter our daughter’s world in order for her to begin to enter ours.

The process was quite simple: Stop, observe the child, and then think of a creative way to be present in her activity of choice. This could be as simple as observing the child rubbing a blanket corner, then you sit down quietly next to the child and begin rubbing the blanket next to the child’s fingers. Observe the child, does she acknowledge you? If yes, even if it was a slight glance, you just engaged the child! The protocol guides you to do this type of interaction numerous times a day.

I was amazed that she responded immediately. I saw my daughter fiddling with the remote control of a fire engine, so I came down onto the floor with in the space she was playing. I “walked” a 3 inch baby doll closer to the fire engine; she spontaneously picked it up and started to move the baby up and down the fire engine ladder. WOW, she rarely used imaginative play!

I sat and watched her for a few minutes then picked up a small mommy doll and had her stand at the bottom of the ladder. My daughter stopped and looked at me, then moved the baby up the ladder and yelled, “Help!” I responded, “Baby, are you okay?” To my surprise she answered me, “Yeah, I ok.” This went on for about 15 minutes. Our first interactive play ever!

I found entering her world this way to be easy. Since that day we have had many meaningful play interactions through my entering her world through her interests while following her lead. I have found this to be a great technique with my older child as well. When she is doodling or journaling, I will sit down next to her and start doodling too... before I know it we are writing notes to each other or drawing on a single piece of paper. She is more apt to open up to me and share when I use this approach.

So often I see a therapist come in with an agenda. My advice to therapists, educators and to parents, whether you are interacting with a child with ASD or a typical child, try entering their world and see how much more you can accomplish.

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Recipe of the Week: GFCF Caesar Salad Dressing

Our family loves Caesar Salads! Our youngest child’s favorite meal was a Caesar Salad with a side of asparagus and strawberries. When we started to adapt the GFCF diet we missed this meal. I messed around a lot with a variety of ingredients until I found this combination and found it to be a nice substitute for Caesar Dressing!

2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Lemon juiced
1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoon Vegenaise*
1 teaspoon Tamari Sauce (don’t use soy, it contains wheat)
1/2 teaspoon Kelp Granules

1/3 cup Cold Pressed Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together, except olive oil. Once you have a smooth blend, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Store dressing in a air-tight container for a couple of days in the refrigerator. If you want the dressing thicker sprinkle xantham gum in and stir.... Remember a little goes along way, so add it slowly.

*We have found Vegenaise to be useful in many of our recipes. We have substituted this ingredient in recipes that call for mayo, sour cream, and even small amounts of cream cheese. This is a very versatile food; add 1 cup to your favorite cake batter and you will experience a fabulously moist cake.

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Study Shows Doodling Improves Ability to Recall Information

Guilty as charged! I have always been an obsessive doodler. Whether in school, a business meeting, on the phone or simply watching television I have been known to have a pen in hand. Most doodles ended up in the trash, some inspired art work, and others just simply annoyed others around me.

I have noticed that my daughter has embraced this habit as well. She tends to doodling all the time. The margins of her homework are decorated with names, shapes, and abstract designs. I have wondered if this is getting in the way of her studies, but after a recent study, I am reassured that her habit is not inhibiting her ability to pay attention in class.

The study revealed that when you doodle you tend to recall almost 30% more than your counter-parts that are paying attention. This interesting study by Jackie Andrade, Psychologist, of the University of Plymouth will be published in the journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

It seems that doodling seems to occupy a part of the brain that doesn’t inhibit your ability to pay attention. However, if you day dream it seems to activate much more brain activity than doodling. For instance, if you start to day dream about what you are going to make for dinner, this simple thought turns into what groceries you have at home, which turns into a mental list of what you need to pick up from the store, which turns into another thought that turns into another and another and another. This thought process seems to take up more brain power than doodling causing you to lose the ability to recall what was going on in the presentation.

I was excited to hear about this study. As an Art Therapist I have always looked at doodling as more than an annoying habit. I have utilized ‘doodle journals’ with former clients and my children to process their emotions and to develop fine-motor skills. Now it seems that children with pictures in the margins of their work are capable of hearing information and better able to recall it later. So, it seems that the craft of doodling actually aids your child in improved academia.

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Co-Sleeping Promotes Security and Self Confidence

In the United States, prior to the 19th century, it was customary for an infant/child to sleep within close proximity to it's mother. However, it may surprise you that more cultures than not continue to participate in the parental act of co-sleeping with their young.

The mother co-sleeping is better able to attend to the child's needs when the child is placed in close proximity to her. This act tends to promote security and a sense of well-being within the child. Cultures that nurture their children 24 hours a day tend to produce more secure, balanced, and productive adults.

On the contrary, when a child is left isolated in a private room to cry itself to sleep, cortisol levels are raised creating a stressed immune response and higher blood pressure & insulin levels. A study was performed on baby monkeys that concluded that when a child is left in this manner, that even when it is able to self soothe it continues to have high cortisol levels.

So, our child is quite and we are all sleeping, but internally the child is experiencing biological stress levels even though it is not demonstrating an outward stress reaction. In the monkey study the monkeys cortisol remained high even after 80 episodes of being left alone. Could this contribute to some of the disorders and illnesses our children are experiencing now more than ever? (ADHD, autism, juvenile diabetes, violence, mental challenges?)

I don't know the answer to that... But I do know that when a child is soothed and it's innate cues (cries) are understood and responded to appropriately, the child will learn to trust and rely upon the mother and develop a greater self confidence. This trust and effective communication skill will transcend not only through infancy but through childhood and into the teenage years and adulthood.

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