Light bulb!!

I am thinking back to some things that have spurred new research for me.  Rubella...yep, that's right, the same virus my 12 month old was injected with before things got crazy for us.  Two things sparked this research.  First, the fact that his stool test came back so clean means something else is going on, namely viral possibilities which I always thought were there, just never really took the time to dig deeper with everything else on my plate.  Secondly, when I give him the teeniest tiniest dose of monolaurin, his sensory symptoms come flooding in, along with a spaciness and emotional instability we haven't seen in ages!  This tells me he is fighting something that is reacting to the monolaurin, which interestingly is typically used to target RUBELLA!

So then I began researching Rubella symptoms, because I read somewhere that the rash is a pink lacy, blotchy sort of rash that starts at the neck and slowly moves across the torso and out to the limbs, then disappears after just three days.....when we began increasing Grayson's olive leaf extract, which is an antiviral, he broke out in a lacy pink rash which I first noticed just around his collar and the back of his neck, then before the end of the day, it had moved down his torso, back and front and onto his arms.  This lasted three full days.  It never reached his legs, but remember that vaccinations are a weakened version of the virus.  Thinking back even further, to when he was reacting to his 12 month vaccinations, which included the MMR...he experienced a fever, a gland popped up on the side of his neck that hasn't ever gone down permanently since, and he broke out in this same rash only days after the gland popped up, he also experienced a sore knee that he wouldn't even bend to go up the stairs, and a swollen eye!  I will bold the symptoms he experienced.... 

Check out the eerily similar symptoms!

Early Rubella Symptoms

Rubella symptoms that are the same in both adults and children include:

• Mild fever
• Swollen lymph glands behind the ears and/or neck

In adults, other early symptoms may occur one to seven days before the rubella rash appears. These include:

• Tiredness (he was lethargic while the rash and fever were present)
• Muscle and body aches 
• Headache
• Red, watery eyes (swollen eyelid and red eye)
  

In children, the rubella rash may be the first symptom.

These early symptoms usually last three to four days -- although it can be as short as one day and as long as eight days before the rubella rash appears.

Rash: The Classic Rubella Symptom

The rubella rash is a red, blotchy rash that lasts one to five days. In most cases, it lasts three days, which is how rubella got its other name: "three-day measles" (see Rubella Pictures). The rubella rash is lighter in color than the measles rash. It begins at the hairline and then spreads to the face and upper neck. The rash gradually moves downward and outward, reaching the hands and feet.

Joint Pain

Joint pain and swelling can occur with a rubella infection. This symptom is more common in young women, and most often affects the wrists, fingers, and knees. Joint pain and swelling are more common when the rash is present, but may continue for up to two weeks after the rash has faded.  (Grayson had a swollen knee that he couldn't bend, I actually feared arthritis, which he was even tested for by his pediatrician!)

I only wish I knew at the time to consider testing for Rubella titers to see exactly how high they were.  If I knew then, what I know now, I always say this.  This finding however, can mean real healing for Grayson, it means getting to the root of one of the major problems he could be experiencing.  If he was, in fact, shedding the virus at the time we increased the OLE, I worry about the possibility that Gavin could have been infected as well.  We will cross that bridge when we get there, but I must say, we are now beginning to see the very same symptoms cropping up in Gavin, and at the same time, he is 2.5!

Here is a picture of Grayson on the left with the rash and a patient with true active Rubella on the right.  Keep in mind that the vaccination is a weakened form of the virus and we are bringing the virus out with antivirals, so it wouldn't be as severe as acquiring the virus via contact with a person who has it.

Biological dental exam for yours truly

If there is anything I have learned from my children, it's that my own health is being effected by my 7 amalgam fillings (and one composite with metal, just because it's white doesn't mean it's metal-free) and there is more to come, if I don't have them replaced properly.  I have spent the last 2 years helping my boys heal, and now it's time for me.  Nursing our younger son for 16 months prevented me from even considering any dental work, let alone chelation until more recently.  I am finally pursuing a full dental revision with a Huggins Alliance dentist.  Today was my first appointment with Dr. Blanche Grube.  This appointment is intended to educate us both on the condition of not only my teeth, but my overall health, before putting a significant strain on my body with the procedure.  Huggin's Alliance dentists conduct extensive testing prior to the replacement of the fillings in order to prepare the body beforehand.

I am still reeling from my exam today.  I had to drive an hour and a half and then sat through three hours of testing and discussions about my health, then took that hour and a half drive back home again.  When I arrived home, I didn't realize how much the experienced drained me, but I was so exhausted, I literally had to lay down in bed for a while!

Some information energized me with hope, some downright scared me!  I will walk you through my experience as best as I can recall, considering it was like speed reading from a medical book the whole time I was there!  I really wish I brought a tape recorder with me!

The first item on the agenda was getting a handle on my mouth, by taking pictures and x-rays.  They already had the results of my blood testing along with my hair test so we were just closing the loop on the whole picture.  The dental assistant and the doctor both commented on the impeccable cleanliness of my teeth and gums, saying it was probably the cleanest mouth they have ever seen and considering the crowding I have with my bottom front teeth, that says a lot about our diet and care with fluoride-free toothpaste.  So if anyone doubts you can clean your mouth without fluoride, I can honestly say that since we removed it from our house and changed our diets, neither my husband nor myself has ever had any plague on our teeth during dental visits.  His last appointment with the dentist was well over a year overdue too!  Dr. Weston A. Price has studies saying this very situation is true with the proper diet, and we are living proof!

So on to the appointment, the first thing we did was measure the mercury in my mouth before and after chewing for ten minutes.  The EPA uses 1 mcg/m as the maximum allowable limit for air in a public building or for air in your home. Almost everyone, who has silver fillings in their teeth, will show levels of mercury vapor in their mouth above that limit.  My reading in my mouth before chewing = 0, after = 8 mcg/m.  That means my mouth is putting out EIGHT times the safe level of mercury every time I chew and that doesn't count brushing my teeth and drinking hot fluids like tea and coffee which I do daily.  Gee, I wonder how much a day that all works out to....no, maybe I don't!

Then, after all the pictures of varying kinds (including 18 painfully uncomfortable traditional x-rays) were taken, the dentist came in to review my testing and pictures.  As suspected, my hair test is suggestive of retaining mercury, she called me a "poor excreter of mercury".  I have high arsenic and we tried to figure out the source of the arsenic to no avail initially, so we moved on thinking perhaps the mercury was the cause, although even Dr. Grube who had high mercury, didn't have elevated arsenic.  We addressed a few deficiencies, which I already had supplements on board for.  She was impressed with my knowledge and that I had already taken the steps to get my nutrition in line.

The blood tests are where the plot thickens.  Below are the details that require action of some sort:

• Cholesterol is too low 
• Blood sugar is too high
• Poor protein digestion
• I am eating too much protein for my body type
• Sodium is too low

On this note, if I could break here to say that this is where we discovered my source of arsenic.  I shared with Dr. Grube that I am using Himalayan sea salt in our reverse osmosis water to replenish lost minerals and to replace the lack of sodium.  This is when the light bulb went off!  Dr. Grube told me that they sent multiple samples of salt out to an independent lab (Doctor's Data) for testing and it was determined that Himalayan sea salt was the highest of all salts in guess what?  ARSENIC! So she suggested the top three with no fillers or contamination (Real Salt from the mountains of Colorado, I think, Morton's canning and pickling salt or Diamond Kosher Crystal salt).

• Phosphorous is low
• Thyroid is sluggish - I had already begun adding iodine this past week! 
• I've even learned that the one white colored filling I have contains metals and needs replacing
• and lastly, my red blood count is low, platlets are low and my MCV (size of cells) is high

I should explain what this last detail means.  As she was reading my test results, she stopped here and said there is a big problem, she paused like she didn't want to say it, but she did....there are two possibilities associated with this combination, one being a long-standing infection and the other, cancer.  My body went numb!  Literally.  I have actually heard that the high MCV can mean chronic infection, because Grayson also has this, but his platelets are not low, they are high and his red blood count isn't low either.  What this means is that my bone marrow is putting out immature, very large blood cells and not enough of them.  So Dr. Grube stopped everything and brought her chiropractor husband in to do some muscle testing.  I've read about this for finding cancer and/or infections.  A book I read, called "Healing Cancer Peacefully" was actually a chiropractor who healed her own cancer using natural methods and one of the methods of detection that she used to track the rate of her cancer growth and death was muscle testing.  It was effective and always mirrored the allopathic test results. So I was already prepared for this.  He worked quickly and quietly, listing out his findings as he went, working from the top down:

• Staph infection  from FOUR cavitations are effecting the areas listed below (which is probably why I get a chronic need to clear my throat if I don't take GSE and OLE two to three times a day):
• Inner ear  - this is recurrent with me, pain and ringing
• Throat
• Esophagus
• and to add to this, Dr. Grube found a swollen gland under my left jaw and an irritated and slightly swollen left tonsil, coincidentally, this is also the side with a VERY large filling and it's the same side that I frequently experience gum swelling (you guessed it, at the cavitation site!).
• He found mercury to be settling in the following body parts:
• eyeballs - oddly, the past few days I have had a strange symptom with my eyes since adding iodine to my supplements (iodine encourages natural detox), my eyes have been cloudy, for lack of a better word.  They aren't blurry, but they are very tired, scratchy and cloudy with a decreased peripheral vision.  I had mentioned this to both my husband and my best friend just yesterday.
• Throat
• Thyroid - which is also enlarged
• Esophagus
• Right breast - I actually had continuous trouble nursing on this side, had a decreased milk supply and have had bloody discharge in the past

In addition to the above, he found something to be going on with my gallbladder, although mild, it wasn't specified.  I was asked, if I have trouble with digestion, not significantly, although I can tell that things have been changing for me recently so it's possible.  It was also determined that I have a mold issue!  I lived for years in a home with mold in the basement and then our current home recently had a fairly small mold problem that was re-mediated only a few months ago.  So I don't know the source, but it's obvious that one of our homes had a lasting effect on me.  I would never have guessed this!

This man found a multitude of things that I have had problems with in the past, with no discussion of them previously!

A physical exam resulted in the finding of various bite problems as well and they mostly stemmed from an "infantile tongue thrust reflex" that I never lost.  Approximately 20% of the population has this.  I have exercises that are intended to help normalize my bite imbalances.  I have significant TMJ, which is basically something I just have to live with, I am merely one of the lucky ones, most likely genetically passed on.  And not surprisingly, considering both my hair test and blood test pointed to thyroid problems, she also found an enlarged thyroid.

Adding the four cavitations more than doubles the cost of this procedure....so it's clear to me that I have a decision on my plate.

UPDATE February 27th - Since my appointment, I found myself constantly questioning the fact that I need four cavitations surgically cleaned out and considering the price of each one, the idea of doing all four  makes me feel a little sick to my stomach.  I just needed better confirmation, especially since Dr. Grube herself told me that the muscle testing is usually about 80% correct.  So I sent her a brief e-mail with my concerns and even though it was the weekend, she rapidly responded assuring me that we will use the cavitat machine for confirmation the morning of my appointment.  I feel so relieved!!  If I can save myself even ONE cavitation, I will be thrilled, if not, at least I will know with 100% certainty that I needed the surgery.  The cavitat machine is actually an ultrasound that looks for infection by detecting cavitational porosity in the jawbone.  I am now ready for my appointment, well, except for the blood draw I need for the biocompatibility test.  Doing that tomorrow.  The hotel is booked and our list of what to bring with us is started...moving forward!

ANOTHER UPDATE! - Well over a month past my dental revision, I received test results from an independent lab...I had no idea to even expect this.  Apparently, they sent necrotic tissue and bone from my cavitation sites to be identified, probably to look for cancer too.  Guess what they found?!  STAPH!!  Dr. Grube's chiropractor husband was absolutely dead on!  I had a staph infection in three of the four cavitation sites!

To see my Post dental revision blog entry, click here.

This, that and the other

We've got a lot going on with both boys right now, since doing our last stool tests and changing the course of treatments.  Well, not changing per say, but adding to them.  In the process, I have seen die-off in both boys, always a good sign, but not always fun to live through.

Full moon
Since the full moon was February 18th (three days ago), we started Gavin's parasite cleanse on the 14th (four days before the full moon).  The theory behind this is that parasites hatch during a full moon and in order to attack all stages of their life cycle, you start four days before a full moon and continue the cleanse until four days before the next full moon.  This time, in addition to the Humaworm kid's cleanse, I decided to add in the Artmesia and a worm cleanse called W-W by Pure Herbs.  I joined him in that cleanse, just for the heck of it, even though I plan to do the family cleanse again in April.  I am not doing Humaworm, just the W-W, Artmesia and I am adding in a separate black walnut hull capsule.  I have a feeling I have a parasite issue for sure, so it can't hurt to join him in the fun.  Since starting that cleanse with him, we've had a whole slew of die-off symptoms.  Whenever he goes through severe die-off, he experiences a day or two of minimal talking.  His speech always seems to suffer on the worst days.  I'm not sure, if it's the quality of his speech or if it's his mood which makes him less interested in being social or reasonable, and just becomes quiet and demanding at the same time.  There is definitely a mood that follows his die-off, one of anger, frustration and impatience, plus he clings to me while whining most of the day.  It's like nothing can make him happy, he wants something, then he doesn't want it, then he wants it again.  The screaming over it all is the most frustrating part about it, for us parents.  It's extremely exhausting, to say the least.  Other symptoms we have seen with this particular cleanse are: severe sleep disturbances which involve an inability for him to fall asleep and stay asleep, he wakes crying every 45 minutes until he is able to get into a deep sleep, he's craving sugars, he was irritable in the first few days, and his bloating looked incredibly painful, because it started very high in the abdomen and was so tight that blue veins were pressed visibly against his skin.  Six days into the cleanse, he had watery diarrhea that burned his rear so badly it left painful welts all the way down his thighs.  He couldn't even bear the feeling of his clean diaper against his skin at bedtime.  On this same day, his urine smelled horrible, almost like he had a bowl movement in his diaper, even though he drinks TONS of water.  There was definitely some form of potent toxin in his urine! He has had a problem with sweating for a few months now, sweating while napping or sleeping at night and now is no exception.  He wakes with his pillow soaked behind him.  Since doing research on parasite infection, this is a red flag for parasites!  Chelation was supposed to start coincidentally ON the full moon, so we decided to avoid this round with him so as not to tax his liver too much.

Glyconutrients update
On a good note, we have been able to add the glyconutrients back in without a rash.  We started back on them with half a teaspoon dose.  It's been well over a week now and no rashes so far!  I think last time perhaps we increased his dose too fast for his body to handle, because when we had gotten to a teaspoon and a half, we noticed the rash during a round of chelation, which means, there was probably too much detox between the glycos and chelation, together.  I would also imagine that the combination of the glyconutrients, the active parasite infection and chelation was just too much for his little liver.  Rashes are often a sign that the liver is malfunctioning.

For me, the parasite cleanse resulted in significant joint pain in my left wrist. This only happened on the day of the full moon and it was really painful.  The aches would come and go, throbbing deep in the joint.  One of my ankles felt like it hurt a little too, but it didn't last as long as the wrist hurt all day.  I experienced some itching (yes, rectal, nice huh?) and today after my second dose, I have a strange tightness in my chest that doesn't resolve with coughing.  I have also experienced alternating bowel movements like Gavin too.

Thyroid and iodine
My hair test suggested possible thyroid problems, so I am experimenting with Lugol's 2% iodine daily and since doing a patch test, I am increasing the dose.  I noticed that increasing the dose makes me feel better.  When you do an iodine patch test, the patch of brown iodine on your skin should remain there for 24 hours, if you aren't deficient.  If it disappears sooner, you are deficient.  My patch was gone in less than 9 hours!  So I will continue to increase the drops until the water tastes metalic to me, then I will back off and maintain at that dose.  Then I can repeat the patch test to see, if that dose is offering enough iodine to make my body happy.  When that happens, the patch should remain on my skin for at least 24 hours.  I am now also testing the boys with the patch test, today in fact!  Iodine is known to help with parasites, fungus and bacterial infections, so it's very possible they are deficient too.  I would guess that I could have passed on any of my own deficiencies to them, resulting in many of the issues we are battling now.

UPDATE - Within 5 hours, Gavin's iodine patch is gone!  I'd say he's deficient.  Grayson's is still going strong.  I guess tomorrow I will add iodine for Gavin and see how it changes things.  One thing I have learned in the interim is that adding iodine addresses parasites....interesting.

Attack of the antivirals
With Grayson, we decided to hit him hard with the natural antivirals and there is clearly a reaction happening.  I'm not sure, if the term die-off is appropriate in this situation, but it sure appears that way.  He was already taking high doses of olive leaf extract, and we added in monolaurin and lysine.  With the addition of these supplements, he is rubbing his face, nose and ears all day.  It doesn't seem to be bothering him.  He used to have more of a swatting action, but lately, it's a backhand rub on the cheeks, nose, across the mouth and forehead and he rubs the back of his head behind his ears a lot, sometimes grabbing and bending his ears.  He looks so funny when he has this chronic itching, because his hair is always sticking up all over from rubbing his head!  hahaha  In the past I would have thought this was a tic, but it's not a consistent motion (not sure, if that even matters) and he says he is itchy.  He is even putting the palm of his hand over his ear and pressing/rubbing, like you would if you had a deep inner ear itch. I've noticed that since I increased the monolaurin, he is now nasally too.  His tolerance of the monolaurin is low, we just increased his dose to three little pellets, when normally a scoop is used.  I am wondering, if this means he has a problem with Rubella, since I have heard that monolaurin is the natural antiviral of choice for rubella infections.  Oddly, even with these strange behaviors, his mood has been phenomonal!  In the very beginning, his moods were like the wind, but that passed quickly.  We've even increased his DMSA this round with no ill effects, amazingly!  In the past, just a tiny increase would send him into meltdown misery!  Not this time.  He's finally on a full 5mg dose of DMSA.  Still nowhere near his maximum dose since he could go as high as 20mg per dose safely!  I still feel like we are really making progress.  His more consistent cooperative moods make parenting a breeze!  This is something I haven't been able to say in years.  I am proud to say that I am enjoying these days immensely!

Set it straight!

I want to set something straight right here and now.  And this is regarding the mind set out there that autistic kids are permanently neurologically damaged purely by their genes.  It's to address the number of parents out there who either have no idea that biomedicine exits or they reject it completely either, because they gave it a half-assed (excuse my french) attempt or they haven't educated themselves regarding the benefits and WHY it works!

Genetics
If autism was purely genetic, it wouldn't be an epidemic, genes don't change that fast.  If autism was purely genetic, children wouldn't be recovering completely and losing their previous diagnosis' using bio-medicine.  If autism was purely genetic, there wouldn't be tests proving that the symptoms we are seeing are linked to medical causes.  If autism was purely genetic, treating the medical causes wouldn't result in complete eradication of symptoms.

When the bucket overflows, autism is the result

The cause
I wish people would stop trying so hard to point fingers at ONE cause.  There isn't one cause, there are many and yes, genetics play a role which is why one child reacts to things one way and another child can react to those same things completely differently.  Everything about our being is genetic, but it doesn't end there.  The genetics don't determine our destiny, the way we care for our body does.  Our bodies aren't invincible, we can't eat crap all day every day, smoke and drink without recourse, can we?  So why is it so far fetched to think that feeding our kids processed foods, candies and food coloring and loading them up with highly toxic products is any different?  People, we are seeing the results of changes in our own health choices, in our innocent children.  This epidemic is our fault!  We are trusting the government, doctors and advertising companies to make decisions about our health, decisions that come from money-making tactics!  Do you really think your health is their top priority?  If you put money and long-term health on the table in front of most highly paid executives, I would bet my life on most choosing the money!  The bottom line is that YOUR child is not their first priority, and why do you think s/he is?

Sorry to veer so far off topic, I get heated when I think about how detached we have come from our own health care.  The sad thing is that we believe in what we are doing, we as a society, believe that by calling a doctor when our child spikes a fever, that we ARE doing the right thing.  No one stops to think about what that fever means, why it's happening and what we should do about it, which is often, nothing!

Health status
So back to autistic kids...there are tests confirming that they are bombarded with health issues that stem from autoimmunity problems.  If your child had a kidney disease, you wouldn't ignore it and hire an occupational therapist to help teach them how to behave properly when they are in pain, would you?  Why not?  Because first of all, you would see symptoms that worry you, then you would call that ever-trusted doctor of yours, and the doctor would tell you what to do about your child's illness.  If your doctor tells you to make sure your child takes medication daily, are you going to give it?  You bet your ass you will!  Why?  Because your child's quality and possibly even length of life depends on it and no one wants their child to suffer needlessly or painfully.  Oh and don't forget, because your doctor said so, right?  Ok, so enter the autistic child.  He has GI dysfunction, leaky gut, food sensitivities, chronic diarrhea, lacks good bacteria, is overgrown in bad bacteria, often has mitochondria disorder, decreased glutathione, increased yeast, high viral titers, nutritional deficiencies, dark circles under the eyes, eczema and other rashes, allergies, seizures, this list is literally endless, but do these things look like they aren't medical to you?  They ARE medical, they ARE testable and they ARE treatable!!  And do you think the health of a person doesn't effect his or her neurological condition?  Think about when you've had a cold or the flu.  Your head hurts, you feel foggy, you want nothing to do with chores or work, you are cranky and irritable, you can barely walk sometimes.  These children are feeling like this EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE. OF THEIR LIVES!  It's why they scream and yell, it's why they are unreasonable and have tantrums, it's why they head bang.  And we just pass this off as "genetic".  Genetic is not an excuse, it's the reason daily toxic insults (be it from the womb) are causing these outward symptoms we call autism.

Bystander

So when I see autistic children going without the care they deserve, I feel a fury that I can't even put words to.  How would you feel watching your neighbor, a friend or even a family member let their child suffer from a life-changing disease without medical care they so badly need?  You would call them names, you would shed tears for those children, you would offer them advice or the names of trusted doctors, you might even get in their faces and demand that they seek care for their pain-ridden children.  Or, would you just turn your head and walk away thinking, "It's their problem, not mine?" So now, because our mainstream doctors have turned their backs on our kids, because they don't have the answer, we follow suit and we turn our backs on our own kids.  Well not a warrior mom, she never turns her back on her kids!  She fights against the grain, knocking people down in her path!  These are the kids who are healing! 

Is he autistic?
I have gone as far as to say that my older son is not autistic, but I continue to focus on autism and it's treatments, for my children.  The reason is, because the health issues my children are dealing with mirror those of an autistic child.  We got lucky, we caught it when it was happening and we began the arduous process of reversing it before it got bad.  Many kids have symptoms that don't cross over into the spectrum, but they are teetering VERY close to it.  These kids are labeled as the trouble kids in school, they have ADHD (which IS on the spectrum), they have learning disabilities, mood disorders, allergies, eczema, chemical sensitivities....but they aren't autistic.  It doesn't matter, they are effected by the very same health malfunctions as an autistic child, just not as severely.  We would call them the lucky ones, but are they?  Will their health issues EVER be taken seriously enough to allow them to live normal lives?  I would guess, sadly, that no, they won't.

Awareness is key
If you are reading this blog and know of ANYONE who comes to mind when you read this, PLEASE pass it on.  We need to create awareness, because without it, our future generations are at risk.  No child deserves a life of pain and suffering just, because our doctors lack the knowledge to refer a patient to a biomedical doctor.  Please help me create awareness!

Biomedical markers
These typical biomedical markers of children with autism, Aspergers and/or ADHD are all indications that what we are dealing with is MEDICAL and REVERSIBLE!

 

 

Vaccines, mercury and aluminum

I belong to the Autism-Mercury yahoo group where there are tons of fabulous and experienced parents sharing their knowledge daily.  While scanning the threads, I noticed that Haven who is one of the well-versed mothers (love her name too) had responded to a poster who was questioning her DAN! doctor's direction on testing and chelation.  We see this all the time, people questioning their doctors, and with good reason!  I found her response to be riveting and thorough so I asked permission to share it here on my blog.  I am thrilled to be able to offer this additional perspective below, on the road we have chosen for our children.

Haven and I are some of the many many other parents dedicating our lives to their childrens' recoveries.  I have heard time and time again how this is so "rare" to be doing something like this....no, it's not, unfortunately.  I wish that were true, but there are over 9,000 members in the Autism-Mercury group, over 6,000 in the chelatingkids2 group, almost 15,000 on the GFCF kids group, over 5,500 in the MB12Valtrex group and over 3,500 in the Trying low oxalates group.  I am sure there is overlap of members, and I know there are other groups like these, but the numbers speak volumes for the biomedical community.  These groups represent the increase in autism, ADHD and allergies in children today.  And ALL of these parents are looking for safe, non-invasive and natural ways to heal their children, and it's working.

So I repeat, unfortunately, what I do for the health of my children is NOT as uncommon as you might think.  I would however, like to see more parents considering this route when their children are experiencing: learning delays, sensory symptoms, allergies, asthma, GI dysfunction, mood disorders, behavior problems and or anything that you find yourself struggling with repeatedly, with no answers from your pediatricians, your gastroenterologists and your therapists.

Please take a moment to read Haven's fabulous explanation of her own experiences with this path.  One thing you will notice is that parents like us are passionate about healing our children, and all children, because in order to go against the grain of mainstream medicine, we HAVE to be this way, it's what drives us to success! While reading, keep in mind that she is responding to another poster when she says "you".
_______________________________________________________________

Don't bother with a porphyrins test. Use the Doctor's Data Hair Elements
test, and apply the rules of counting per the Dr. Andy Cutler protocol, and
stop letting a DAN milk away your money, having you pay for meaningless tests
and frivolous supplements -- many of which don't work. (What I would give to
have all that money back).

My son in now eleven. I admit that we have been lucky. The very basic
things we did: diet (gf/cf/sf) and metabolic supports: vitamins, minerals,
amino acids along with therapeutic interventions helped our son quite a bit.
We were scared and not knowledgeable in the beginning and thought we had to
have a doctor on board to do AC chelation, and of course DAN! doctors steered
us away from that as they can't make enough money off it, so we were steered toward IV
chelation which caused regressions and serious respiratory reactions in our
son.

What you may wind up finding happens with a DAN! (and I am not saying this is
a definite) is that they try or have you try all these different things, and
then when none of it works, then they will tell you “maybe you ought to put
the child on psychotropics after all”. Well, for us, we were not going to
put our son on Prozac just, because he was stimming and had hyperactivity.

What was more important to us was WHY the stimming came back (probably due
to IV chelation) and why the hyperactivity came back (probably doing IV
again). Then I remembered how those close to the Andy Cutler protocol had helped
put us on the right track in the beginning, and I found myself wishing I had
listened to Dr. Cutler all those years ago, as anything he had told me to do
helped. But we didn't listen at that time about the proper way to chelate
heavy metals.

You need to do a hair test on your child and apply the rules of counting.

If your child has received any vaccines in the last thirty years, your child
has been injected with both mercury and aluminum - among many other toxic
chemicals like antifreeze and formaldehyde.

They did not take the mercury out. My son received 67.5mcg mercury via
vaccines on March 7, 2001, and IMMEDIATELY lost all speech and began a
downward spiral behaviorally, digestively, immunologically, and
neurologically. Even if they had actually taken it out and been truthful
with the public, the FDA NEVER recalled the thimerosal-containing vials
still on the shelves -- a supply which may well still be out there, but
minimally, would have lasted an additional seven years.

The flu, combo flu this year, tetanus, and rabies shots all still contain
the full complement of mercury. ALL non-live virus vaccine are still MADE
(manufactured) using thimerosal. They told the public they took it out, but
they supposedly take it out AFTER it is manufactured with it. They
supposedly extract it out after the manufacturing process. HA-HA.

Mercury hides. Mercury binds TIGHTLY to protein (and fat) and as any parent
who has ever tried to get it out of their child can attest, mercury is very
difficult to unbind. It does not reside in the blood for long. Any
exposure not excreted by the body will reside in the fatty tissues in the
body: the brain, the kidneys, the liver, the lining of the intestine. It is
really the only thing that can cause abnormal mineral transport in the
body so, look to see whether there is abnormal mineral transport in
the body.  It has the power to disrupt a myriad of biochemical reactions
in the body.

All vaccines are made with animal protein -- ah, something for the mercury
to bind tightly to.  And who polices the extraction of mercury from the
product? Well, our government allows the pharmaceutical industry to police
itself! Maybe because this industry contributes heavily to their
campaigns. You think?

In addition, the vaccines are still sold in multi-dose vials rather than
safer one dose vials (which would not require a preservative). Many factors
can play a roll in how much mercury an individual child receives. Sometimes
it can be that the nurse doesn't shake the bottle well enough, so one child
gets much more mercury than the next child.

In some vaccines, mercury and aluminum are in there together. The aluminum
acts as a catalyst and makes whatever mercury is in there even more toxic.
In vaccines where they "took the mercury out," they added aluminum as the
primary preservative. Aluminum- a substance known to cause neuronal cell
death and suspect in contributing to breast cancer and Alzheimer's. No
wonder autism has continued to rise, given the number of vaccines and the
amount of mercury and aluminum children are still getting via vaccines.

In all this, mercury is still the primary problem. They try to comfort the
public by saying that it is ethyl-mercury and not methyl. Big whoopee-do.
it is STILL the second most toxic substance on the face of the Earth. No
safety studies were ever done on infants using methyl mercury (unless you
count the massive human experimentation on our children over the last thirty
or forty years). They "guessed." They based its efficacy and safety on
several men who were dying of meningitis who they injected with thimerosal,
and when the men died, the cause of death was listed as meningitis and
thimerosal was pronounced safe.

Did your child receive the Hib shot? This is a type of flu shot.

You need to buy Andy Cutler's book "Amalgam Illness," Study it. Get your
DAN! to order a Doctor's Data Hair elements test and apply the rules of
counting to determine, if your child is mercury toxic. If so, then your
child is probably toxic in other heavy metals too, as mercury disrupts the
detoxification system in the body. If you get the mercury out, the other
metals will follow.

Our environment is filled with this stuff! Our children with depressed
detoxification systems are picking more of it up elsewhere, as well, and it
is cumulative in the body. it is in batteries, lights, electronics, the
air, the water, and in the food supply. It is "pervasive."

I suggest you use the AC protocol for chelation. It will take 100 to 300
rounds to get the mercury out, so you are looking at anywhere from a little over two
years to six years. But this is a very safe -- low and slow method of
chelation. DO NOT allow yourself to get talked into IV chelation, which I
now believe to be dangerous.

You can still use your DAN! to do certain tests when they are warranted such
as re-checking for yeast (which you can tell by behavior usually) and you
can test for neutrophil count and once in a while for kidney/liver function.

In case you have not done so yet, I hope you have done a copper check. Many
of these children can have abnormal levels of copper and disrupted
copper/zinc in the body due to the abnormal mineral transport. High levels
of copper over time can cause permanent brain damage, so I think all
children with this condition should be checked for high copper ASAP.  Zinc
chelates copper. My son's levels were so high after vaccine reaction that
they thought he had Wilson's disease (a genetic disorder), but of course it
wasn't Wilson's, but he has needed to be on extra zinc ever since to keep
his copper levels in check.

As I said, we were very lucky. Perhaps my son's own detoxification system
was not as damaged as other children, so doing the gf/cf/sf diet and adding
metabolic supports helped him tremendously and brought back functional
language. Later, he regained expressive speech and two years ago,
reciprocal speech emerged, and now he has all forms of speech, though about
five years delayed.

By age four, all stimming had ceased, his Sensory Processing Disorder and OCD were all but gone, but then at age six we got persuaded to do IV chelation, and the SPD, stimming,
and OCD returned.

His immune system was severely damaged by the reaction to vaccines. He
began getting sick all the time. From age fifteen months on, he would
develop an infection with fever roughly every two weeks like clock work.
these were usually respiratory. He has had pneumonia eight times, countless
bouts of bronchitis, and they told us he had asthma. He was sick so much we
finally put him on steroids, which made him gain a lot of weight and only
reduced his illnesses by half.

Then he developed an inability to fight off the bacteria that gets
introduced when an insect bites him, so every time he gets bitten, he will
develop radiating staph from each and every bite site. Fire ant bites cause
anaphylaxis, and allergy shots did nothing to reduce the allergic response.

Then after some events that occurred at our DAN! doctor’s office last summer, I took a step
back and reassessed and remembered that in the beginning, the A-M group had
helped us a great deal, so I came back, and from here I learned about the
Recovery From Autism Yahoo group, which has helped tremendously, and we began the AC Protocol a little over a month ago.

I learned that very often asthma symptoms can really be a sign/symptom of
adrenal fatigue (another lovely gift of mercury poisoning as mercury likes
to settle there, as well). A little over a month ago, I started giving my
son ACE (Adrenal Cortex Extract). My son is being chelated using ALA only
due to his being a very reactive kid. Since beginning this protocol, my son
has needed NO asthma medications. He has not needed his rescue inhaler even
once! He has not been sick.

This is the longest my son has gone without being sick in over nine years!
On rounds he is more focused and there is less stimming, SPD, and OCD. About
days 2 and 3 off rounds, the yeast flares up, and we are trying to fight
this with biotin and GSE, but yeast is a big problem for most of these
children. We will prevail.

I urge you to give the AC protocol consideration.

My son was moderate/severe in the beginning. He is high functioning now.
He is bright, funny, imaginative and very well behaved. We home school now,
and at the beginning of that I was worried we might get sick of being
together all the time, but this has been a wonderful experience, and I love
being with him. It gets hectic, but he is making up a lot of ground lost
due to society’s preconceived notions regarding autism. I firmly believe
that with continued AC chelation, my son will continue to improve and
healing is very possible. Three years from now, we will know for sure, but
we KNOW our son is mercury toxic, and getting the mercury out can only
help. I am just still walking on cloud nine that he has not been sick, has
not shown signs of asthma, and has not needed steroids in over a month.

I am not a doctor. I am just a mom who has studied, researched, and worked
her @$$ off to get her son back.

Hope this helps you.

Haven

Cleaning products, friend or foe?

A friend spurred my blog entry today.  She contacted me about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, because using it causes her to feel faint and lightheaded for hours.  She was wondering what the ingredients might be.  Here are just a few details about this seemingly harmless product...

"Warnings: Caution: Keep out of reach of children. Keep out of reach of toddlers and pets to avoid accidental ingestion. If using for dish washing, rinse dishes thoroughly. Do not use with chlorine bleach." (I find this last statement interesting, since most people probably use it while they are cleaning bathrooms with bleach, no?)

Chemical ingredients from the MSDS label - Formaldehyde-Melamine-Sodium bisulfite copolymer.

I find this statement interesting...
"From MSDS Waste Disposal Method: DISPOSAL IS TO BE PERFORMED IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL REGULATIONS."

THIS is why we are seeing all kinds of nasty things in our water, because I highly DOUBT anyone does anything other than toss their little shriveled up piece of Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser right into the trash, where it gets "recycled" into our world for our kids to clean up.

So to recreate the power of Mr. Clean Magic Erasing poison, without the poison, just make a paste of baking soda and water.  Works on walls just as well!  If you need to work on a tougher job, add some borax or alternative natural oxygen bleach like OxyBoost, let it sit a little and voila!

And another of my many hot buttons, cleaning where our kids bathe.  Let me put it to you this way.  Why do you think drug manufacturers use patches to administer medicine?  Because the skin is a completely reliable way to allow something to enter the bloodstream.  And think about the size of the patch, it's an itty bitty square that is capable of administering a steady stream of meds, like with the weekly birth control patch.  Now picture your kids in their nice hot soapy bath.  Anything you are cleaning your tub with is being readily deposited into their bloodstream, via open pores!  Do you think it's time to reconsider what you clean your tub with now?  If not, you might as well pour cleaning solution right into your child's open mouth.  Yes, it's THAT bad!!

So here are a few easy-to-make cleaning solutions that can be made right into a clean HDPE (#2) spray bottle.  This will SAVE YOU MONEY and save you from nasty chemicals!  So yes, it takes you a few minutes, did you read that, MINUTES, to throw the ingredients together, but you are only going to do this each time you run out of your supply, not every time you clean.  On board yet?

General cleaner (your all around spray for counter tops, cabinets, the stove, toys, anything, oh and even your veggies! I like to add 20 drops of GSE for our veggie cleaner)  Keep this one by your sink!

• 1 ounce baking soda
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 24 ounces water
• 5 drops of tea tree oil (or any other essence oil that disinfects like lemon, cinnamon, etc)

Believe it or not, cinnamon oil is very potent and has been tested and proven to work on bacterias such as e.coli, staph, klebsiella, salmonella, MRSA!  Check out the study information here.

Bathroom cleaner

• 2 teaspoons Borax
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup peroxide
• 1/4 teaspoon castile soap like Dr. Bronners
• 24 ounces hot water
• 5 drops of essential oil of choice

Glass cleaner

• 1 ounce baking soda
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 24 ounces water

Wood cleaner

• 50/50 mix of vinegar and olive oil with lemon essential oil

A little tip for making the solutions - I use mini funnels to add everything to the bottles and notice that the dry ingredients are listed before the wet ingredients.  This is so that they don't stick to the funnels from pouring them into a wet funnel.

Laundry detergent - This recipe makes our clothes SO soft!

• 1 quart water (boiling)
• 2 cups Bar soap grated (I chose not to use the bar soap, because I have read that it is harsh, so I chose to use Dr. Bronner's castile liquid soap, although you can also use Dr. Bronner's bar soap grated)
• 2 cups Borax
• 2 cups Washing Soda
• 15-20 drops of essential oils of choice - you can make yummy scent mixtures like tea tree oil and lemon, citrus, or what I like in mine is sweet basil and geranium.  Health food stores have plenty of essential oil options.

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

My liquid version of this using the Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap did turn into a bit of a gel, but it's still fairly thin so I poured it into an old vinegar bottle for easy dispensing.  Some recipes add white vinegar to the mix too, but I like to add vinegar to our rinse cycle anyway, in place of fabric softener.   Without the bar soap, the detergent doesn't sud up, but I assure you, it's still cleaning!  If you are unsure of how your feel about non-sudsing soaps, add a little vinegar for extra cleaning power.

Powdered laundry detergents - I have not tried either of these so they are attempt-at-your-own risk recipes, lol.

• 12 cups Borax
• 8 cups Baking Soda
• 8 cups Washing Soda
• 8 cups Bar soap (grated)

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Alternative powdered laundry recipe

• 1 cup Vinegar (white)
• 1 cup Baking Soda
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap

• Mix well and store in sealed container.
• It is easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding).  1/2 cup per full load offers great results.

Thanks to greenlivingtips.com, I found this great dishwashing soap recipe as well!

Liquid castile soap uses
While bar castile soap is pretty amazing stuff, in a liquid form it's even more versatile.

- Liquid castile soap can be used for a shaving lather
- It can be used as a pet shampoo
- Great for washing clothes and diapers
- General cleaning, diluted and used in a spray bottle
- Heavy duty de-greasing
- I've heard that pure liquid castile soap can even be used for brushing your teeth! But of course, don't swallow the stuff. I don't think it would kill you in small doses but I'm sure it would taste pretty yuk.
- It can also be used in place of dishwashing detergent and even in your automatic dishwasher! "Green" automatic dishwasher detergents are hard to come by, but a Green Living Tips reader, Kathy Stevens, contributed this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 drops tea tree oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

Method:
Stir all ingredients together until blended. Store in a squirt top bottle. Use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes, shake well before use. 

While we are discussing natural cleaners and disinfecting essential oils, I will add my home made hand sanitizer ingredients below as well.  We keep a spray bottle of this in our diaper bag and in my purse for regular use.  See my past blog on hand sanitizer here.

• 2 parts aloe gel (NOT juice)

• 1 part distilled water (NOT tap)

• 1 part grain alcohol-vodka (NOT isopropyl, we used Ciroc grape-distilled vodka to avoid the grain-allergen issues)

• 4-5 drops essential oil of choice (NOT fragrance oils). Hint: tea tree is a great antibacterial and one of the best essential oils to add to a hand sanitizer recipe. I also added a few drops of oil of oregano which is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial...among SO many other things.

Essential oils, to date, have not been shown to allow microbes to develop resistance.
Mix all ingredients in glass bowl (preferably) with a plastic spoon. I don't use metal dishes or utensils because of potential reactions with the essential oils.  Pour your hand sanitizer into your containers. You can add less water if you prefer a thicker product.

So there you have it, one my hot buttons!

Metametrix DNA microbiology test results

I am experiencing a lot of emotions about the results of the boys' stool tests.  One one hand, Grayson's results look great!  The test is perfect, he is colonizing the good bacteria (not as high as he should, but better than the last test which had none of some good bacteria), has no significant bad bacteria or yeast and no parasites.  As wonderful as it sounds, yes we are clearing things up, chelation is working, and the antimicrobials are working, there is still something going on.

Yeast, bacteria or virus?
For those of you who have been following our story, you know that we had huge issues with Clostridia and yeast in the past, along with symptoms of regression recently.  So if they aren't yeast and Clostridia, what are they, right?  We have always thought Grayson was a "viral kid", meaning that he would have high levels of live viruses residing in his gut.  This was evident by his lack of illnesses when he was two and now his frequent viruses, and it was confirmed when I added OLE (olive leaf extract) to his daily routine.  Ten days into treatment, he broke out in a viral rash that looked like the chicken pox, but less severe.  It was all over his truck and neck for days.  This is a common event for those who are treating for latent viruses.  So now all this stool test tells me is that I was right, we need to focus on attacking the viruses, although, we don't know which ones we are aiming for.  I can guess that being he was given four live virus vaccines in one visit, before all of this started, we should probably consider the measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, at minimum.  In fact, when we did the vaccine treatment with the BioVeda BAX3000, he had a significant reaction that started right in the office after the treatment.  He got really hot, flush and itchy and immediately broke out in yet another rash!  Since getting the results of the stool test, I added Monolaurin back into his routine and just two teeny tiny pellets (they are usually given as a scoop of pellets) send him reeling in emotion, impatience, itching, and head swatting comes back along with some minor sensory symptoms.  Viral die off can cause a flare in yeast, so it wouldn't be uncommon to see a combination of viral and yeast symptoms.  I can tell that the addition of the Monolaurin is doing something to him, because he wakes in the morning in a perfect mood, and then after his dose, the symptoms begin to rise.  Using some PectaSol C calms down the itching at least.

The monster within
Ok, now for the interesting one.  Gavin's test found a parasite called Dientamoeba Fragilis, also known as DF.  (sigh) It's a flagellate protozoan parasite.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?  I hate to say it, because I probably should have done this test with Gavin sooner, but I had a feeling part of his problems were parasitic.  He never gained weight well (always under the growth chart), he eats more than we do some days, he's hungry constantly, always had the red anal ring, severe bloating (especially lately), food sensitivities, eczema, recently he started saying he was having pain in his upper intestinal area and his BMs have always alternated between constipation and loose.  I always said his issues were only GI related and ironically, this parasite resides in the large intestines reeking havoc on the GI system. Now take a look at how similar the list of symptoms from emedicine are compared to what we were experiencing:

In chronic infection, duration of symptoms is greater than 1-2 months. Abdominal pain is the more common complaint. In children, pain varies with regards to location, duration, and character.

Other GI complaints include the following:

• Anorexia
• Weight loss
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Flatulence
• Alternating constipation and diarrhea

Nonintestinal complaints include the following:

• Headache
• Fever
• Malaise
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Weakness
• Pruritus
• Urticaria

Other sites go on to say that chronic infections cause food allergies/sensitivities, especially to wheat and milk!  Another symptom noticed by those with confirmed cases is green BMs with undigested food.  Gavin requires the use of enzymes in order to prevent the undigested food from showing up.  He has always had a random green stool here and there  and now that I have started treatment for this parasite, just this morning his stool was green!  We did the family parasite cleanse only 4 months ago, but we avoided wormwood (artmesia) so I decided to add that in this time.  He is most definitely reacting to this treatment with strong emotional frustrations, his tags in his clothes are bothering him suddenly, severe bloating and he is very needy.  He's speaking less than previously too, or perhaps it's just more to the point with his unfavorable mood.  I hope we are on the right track to dealing with this parasite, because I have read such conflicting information about effective treatment protocols!  It appears to be a very hard parasite to eradicate.  I'm not surprised though, I heard the same thing about the Clostridia in Grayson.  We are combining the anti-parasite treatment with the biofilm protocol (without EDTA) to ensure that the anti-parasitics reach the bugs.  I've also read great things about a product called W-W by Pure Herbs.  I may do what we are doing now for a little over a month (today happens to be four days before the next full moon, so it was perfect timing to start treating!) and then I will repeat a treatment every month with the W-W which is recommended by using it four days before the full moon until four days after the full moon, for about 9 months.  Contrary to this treatment though, I have also read that a prescription called Alinia was successful at eradicating it in another mother/child that were infected with it.  But this mother said it was absolutely imperative to use it in high doses for a long time (35+ days).  So I think I will try the natural route first, retest and then consider the Alinia, if this doesn't work.  I am sure I will see a decrease in symptoms, if this parasite is killed off.

On a good note, already since using the biofilm protocol with the Artmesia and black walnut hull all together for the first time today, his belly is less bloated and his mood is getting better.  We also had a green stool this morning, wondering if that signifies die-off....there is much to research!

Learned our lesson, again

We have been doing this for two years now and know our kids pretty well when it comes to what antimicrobials they need, the doses and when.  We have never intentionally stopped their antimicrobials with the exception of when my husband decided to test it out while I was away, which didn't go over well.  I can't lie, we often hope that they might not need so much to keep things maintained so when we are forced into a trial for something like the stool test we did with both of the boys two weeks ago, we have a secret, unspoken hope.  We hope that when going back onto the antimicrobials, they won't need as much and/or that the die-off won't be as severe, because that would mean we are seeing the ultimate goal, the BIG light at the end of the tunnel.  We also know that chelation is going to require 100-300 rounds for complete recovery, so the fact that we are only on rounds 46 and 22 means that this is purely wishful thinking on our part.

In this particular case, we truly thought we might have been out of the woods with the high doses.  They initially handled being without the antimicrobials REALLY well, then when we chose to only use partial doses of their antimicrobials, they appeared to still be handling it incredibly well, no severe die-off, but we began seeing the Jekyll and Hyde behaviors again, which you might remember from a previous post.  This always means that we are killing only some of the pathogenic load, so we see small improvements and then they relapse into more die off, almost constantly.  This means we need to increase until we see more consistent behavior.  The problem is when they have gone days without any antimicrobials, allowing the overgrowth to go unchecked, it means having to really hit them hard to get back on track.  Then die-off just sucks, plain and simple.  The symptoms creep up on us and the die-off lingers for longer than expected. Sometimes it means even doubling up on doses and increasing the frequency until we get to a better place again.  This solidifies our need to be consistent, because once we are there, life is good.

So now two weeks into having them back on the antimicrobials, we are still struggling with normalcy.  One thing for sure is I can definitely see what their yeast and bacteria symptoms are now, it's so evident when we go through something like this.  And what happens is we first see the yeast overgrowth, because that increases in an attempt to deal with the bacterial overgrowth, it masks it.  So when the yeast levels begin to come down enough, the bacteria overgrowth is exposed and the symptoms change.  Grayson has been itching a LOT, which sometimes confuses me, because it can be confused with tics.  He swats at his head and ears, but he is also rubbing his head, telling me his ears and head are itchy.  This is a major yeast sign for him and it's been pretty constant for the past two days....die-off!  Prior to that, he was exceptionally hyper, too happy, yup yeast.  Then today he came home from school spaced out, tired, grouchy and negative, bacteria.  I've noticed over the span of about three days now, he's lost his sparkle which is a trait Grayson has had his entire life, since the moment he was born, he sparkled.  It's times like these when I see how tragic it must feel for the parents who have more severely effected children.  When your child loses his smiles, his eye contact and his sparkle, you've lost everything.  They become an empty shell, staring back at you with blank eyes. This is also the part I wish my family and friends could understand about why we do what we do.  The only people who truly get it are us and his teachers, because they spend hours a day with him. 

Gavin is effected differently, his BMs started off horrendous.  He was having half constipated and half loose stools in one bowel movement.  Just a few days ago he passed the oddest looking thing, which interestingly I've seen with him before.  It's hard to imagine this thing could be duplicated which leads me to believe it was something of significance.  Without making this too gross, it was a string of "balls", for lack of a better word, all linked together with about a 5-6 inch fibrous some-thing-or-other.  Both times it came out with another stool, but it was completely independent of that part of the bowel movement.  I assumed last time that it was yeast related, but it's possible that it might have come out during a parasite cleanse, I'm not 100% sure though.  I have had a few people tell me it could have been a dead tapeworm.  One of those people said she has seen the same thing numerous times with herself, her husband and others who have had tapeworm infections.  Talk about being freaked out!  So I am researching that angle.  One thing I can say is that his behavior and bloating changed almost immediately following the passing of whatever it was!!  He also responds to die-off with increased screaming when he can't cope.  So instead of communicating with us when he is frustrated, he loses his ability to calmly communicate, he has outbursts all day when anything challenges him.

At a time like this when both are experiencing die-off together, especially when we've hit the bacteria stage, it makes for a great combination of screaming and anger, impatience and tears.  Let's just say that today I am glad to have my husband home from his business trip, because I need the break!

Peaceful moments...and memories

Peaceful moments
I am sitting in the peace and quiet with some mellow music playing in the background.  This type of moment always encourages a lot of thinking and often the desire to write, but today, I don't have much to write about.  We are just passing time this winter, experiencing mucho snow and ice, watching it all from inside these four walls.  We've done some sledding (we are lucky enough to have a field in the back of our house with the perfect sledding hill), but lately there is so much ice, you can actually walk on top of our three foot glaciers!  The past two 40 degree days are encouraging though.

Memories

So as I sit here waiting for the moment to go pick Grayson up from the bus stop, I have been thinking back to days gone by.  We lost my maternal grandmother two nights ago.  Her precious life was fully gripped by lung cancer, osteoporosis, emphysema, and lastly, a broken hip that sadly threw her over the edge.  And I am so sad for my grandfather who was robbed of his last moments with her when she was hanging in there, until the broken hip stole the last bit of life from her.  I am even more sad for my mother who was her best friend.  She has always spent every hour of her vacation time visiting with my grandmother, hoping to cram in all the memories into the days she had left.  This is such an awful blow for my mother, who was fearful every time her phone would ring, waiting for THE call.  It finally came and it hit her with a powerful blow to her own life. 

So today, I am contemplating my own life.  How precious life is, no matter how exhausting.  My relationship with my own mother is a geographically distant one, but I have spent the past few years (since becoming a mother myself) learning about the sacrifices we make as a mother.  I have gained an undeniable respect for my mother who raised four of us alone.  She wears the heart of honor in my book.  I can only hope that my children will have it in their hearts to eventually come to this same realization some day, perhaps when they too become parents.



A mother-child bond is one that can't be explained, it can't be replicated and should never be compromised, for any reason.  I love you mom!

The Beautiful Truth

If there is ever a movie that I would recommend, it would be this one for sure!  It addresses the very reasons our children are sick today.  Dr. Gerson was making these statements back in 1928!  Why aren't we listening?

The movie talks about curing cancer naturally, dental health (including amalgams and root canals), fluoride, GMO foods, vaccines, the American diet, chemicals, aspartame, refined foods, obesity, etc.  The teenager in this movie interviews well-known pioneers in their field like like Dr. Hal Huggins, Dr. Blayblock and he visits with Dr. Gerson's family who carry on his therapies.  He met with scientists and farmers like our very own Rodale Institute right here in Allentown, PA.  He also interviews cancer patients who were given weeks to months to live and are now thriving using the Gerson therapy.  Truly enlightening! THEN, the movie shows conventional doctors saying that there have never been any known cancer cures using the Gerson therapy....surprised?

Here is the DVD sleeve description of the movie

This documentary follows the journey of Garrett Kroschel, an animal-loving teenager raised in Alaska who, after reading a book by Dr. Max Gerson, is inspired to investigate its premise that diet can cure cancer and other diseases. Garrett travels across the country, visiting with physicians, scientists and cancer survivors to discuss Gerson Therapy -- and Gerson's claim that the medical industry has suppressed natural cancer cures for years.

You can actually watch this movie on You Tube, here is the link for part one.

Natural grass-fed beef

Since we are so health conscious, many people are actually surprised when they learn that we are not vegetarians.  Heck no!!  I love a nice juicy steak and before we found organic grass fed beef, I didn't like burgers, but now YUM! Quality burgers definitely make the difference!

I'm not so sure I believe that vegetarian is the way to go, we are designed to eat meat.  Children, especially, need animal protein to develop healthy cholesterol (which we DO need by the way).  I think somewhere along the way, the health of our animal proteins got all mucked up.  Antibiotics, hormones, grain-feed (AKA - corn), these are all cause for unhealthy animals, resulting in unhealthy meat consumed by people.  You can't expect to put junk in and not get junk out....of anything!  And of course, you can overdo anything...everything in moderation.  We live on a rotation diet, never eating any one food for more than two days in a row, then we avoid that food for three full days.  Eating any food too frequently, even one that is good for you, can potentially cause a sensitivity.  Of all the studies out there linking red meat to health problems, I have to wonder, if they have ever done these same studies on healthy organic, grass-fed beef!

We have been eating organic/natural grass-fed meats for well over a year now and we have been on the search for the best local farm as our source.  We've tried a few different farms which usually resulted in decent cuts, but not always, and more often than not they were actually out of beef when we needed it. Making the drive to various different farms has been wearing on us too.  So the hunt continued.  You can imagine my excitement when I found this family-owned, 100% grass-fed Black Angus beef farm that delivers!!  Be still my beating heart.

Today we had our first delivery from Meadow Mountain Farm which is located in Robesonia, PA.  We were lucky enough to be JUST on the cusp of their delivery radius.  Their prices include delivery up to 50 miles and we might have been just past that, but they were generous enough to include us in the delivery radius anyway.  Mr. McNutt personally made the delivery this morning and he even visited with us for a bit while we learned more about them and their cattle.  We were impressed with his sincere demeanor and enjoyed his company.  He even gave us pamphlets and fliers with healthy recipe ideas and information about the cuts including cooking recommendations for those specific cuts...and you know, I am an information-hound!  Him and his wife pride themselves on quality and service, which was more than evident from the short amount of time we spent with him.  We hope to visit his farm in person some day soon and look forward to sharing this fabulous family farm find with others!

They specialize in Black Angus beef from what Mr. McNutt considers a genetically reputable source and they never "steer" from them even when other, better offers are made.  Sorry, couldn't resist the silly humor, hehehe.  I love the fact that they don't use any chemicals or pesticides on the grass that the cows roam and feed from.  You can get more information on their cuts and packages here.  They also belong to Facebook, so check them out.

Are your dental amalgams making you (and your children) sick?

I can't even tell you the sheer number of people, even that I know alone, experiencing multiple unrelated symptoms that doctors pretty much shrug their shoulders at, or even worse, blindly prescribe antibiotics for!  Antibiotics are way overly misused and in certain people can cause a ticking time bomb to explode.  This increased phenomenon begs the question...do these people have amalgam fillings?

The good news about this horrendous situation is that mercury toxicity IS reversible, if handled properly.  The bad news, if you don't correct this problem, you WILL pass your toxicity onto your innocent children.....and their children!  Can your fillings really cause all this damage, you bet your life they can.

Are Your Dental Fillings Making You Sick?
by Terri L. Saunders

Amazing as it may seem, approximately 80% of the population have inside their mouths the most toxic non-radioactive substance on the planet. This known poison is mercury, and it comprises 50% of all "silver" amalgam fillings that are placed in people’s mouths during routine dental procedures. Even though the American Dental Association claims that mercury has been safely used in dentistry for the last 150 years, and is not harmful when alloyed to silver, copper and zinc in amalgam fillings, research and experience have proven otherwise.

Remember the phrase "mad as a hatter"? In the 1800’s, hatters used mercury-based black paints on the brims of hats. While they worked they would breathe in the mercury fumes and lick the paintbrush to get a finer point. As a result, many hatters got mercury poisoning as the mercury went right to their brains, affecting their psyche. Is it any wonder that dentists have the highest suicide rate of any profession?

Research conducted as early as a decade ago reported that old fillings viewed under an electron microscope showed holes where the mercury had evaporated, releasing 40% of the mercury into the body over a ten year period. The U.S. environmental protection safety limits for mercury exposure are 10 micrograms per day, yet mercury released from fillings can contribute up to three times this amount, just from the simple acts of chewing, brushing the teeth, or drinking hot liquids. Studies show that the average person makes and swallows 1.5 liters of saliva a day. Yet, if they have as few as four amalgams present in their mouth, their saliva is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the toilet in the USA. In fact, amalgam that has been drilled out of teeth must be collected by a special toxic waste disposal company in three airtight metal containers locked one inside the other and labeled with a skull and crossbones. Yet this material is considered safe when placed in our mouths?

According to scientists Sharma and Obersteiner at Utah State University, mercury is even more toxic than aluminum, lead, cadmium or arsenic. They state that mercury is "a strong protoplasmic poison that penetrates all living cells of the human body. Mercury is a powerful biological poison with no necessary biological function." The harmful effects of mercury on the body are almost too numerous to count. In many cases it can take up to twenty-five years for disease symptoms from mercury poisoning to manifest.

Surface particles of elemental mercury from amalgams are acted upon by oral and intestinal bacteria to produce methyl mercury, an even more toxic form of mercury that targets the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, and the brain. Mercury rapidly absorbs across the blood-brain barrier and interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses to the rest of the body, causing tremors, shaking, tingling and numbness. Related effects on the nervous system are poor memory, inability to focus, anxiety, depression, irritability, nervousness, insomnia, dizziness, and muscle spasms.

Multiple Sclerosis patients have been found to have eight times higher levels of mercury in their cerebrospinal fluid compared to neurologically healthy individuals. Researchers at the University of Kentucky have now concluded that mercury from amalgams is associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. They are also investigating the theory that Parkinson’s Disease and Lou Gehrig’s Disease are related to heavy metal toxicity. 

Mercury has an adverse effect on the immune system, inhibiting the body’s ability to fight infection. In the Coors Foundation study of 1995, conducted by pioneering mercury-free dentist Dr. Hal Huggins, the blood of 28 patients was tested before and after amalgam removals. Dr. Huggins found that high levels of white blood cells (the marker for a challenged immune system) came down after amalgam removal, while depressed levels came up. In his article in Alternative Medicine, Dr. Huggins recalls the case of an eight year old boy who was diagnosed with Leukemia due to an extremely high white blood cell count three days after receiving two mercury amalgam fillings. When chemotherapy was given and his white count declined to dangerously low levels, the boy’s grandmother took him to Dr. Huggins who removed the fillings, and his white blood cell count immediately returned to normal levels.
Mercury in the body inhibits the repair of DNA and alters the ability of cells to selectively allow materials through their membranes. It changes healthy molecules into nonfunctioning chemicals and alters the activities of enzymes necessary for all biological functions. Mercury can displace and deactivate vital minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc and chromium. It interferes with the hormonal secretions of the endocrine system. Of particular concern is mercury’s lethal affect on the friendly bacteria in the digestive tract, preventing absorption of nutrients. Mercury signals antagonistic bacteria to mutate for self-preservation, creating new strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

Other symptoms related to mercury poisoning are allergies, bloating, high or low blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, fatigue, muscle weakness, back pain, colitis, headaches, ringing in the ears, metallic taste in the mouth or smell on the skin, skin disorders, canker sores, and problems with the heart, thyroid, reproductive system, urinary tract and vision. Autoimmune disorders such as Lupus and Fibromyalgia as well as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have all been linked to mercury poisoning from dental fillings.

Since amalgams are a combination of different metals, they act like a battery inside the electrolyte and acid solution of the oral cavity, causing corrosion of the metals and creating electrical charges that negatively affect the brain and nervous system. Some people with amalgam fillings have even reported hearing local radio stations inside their mouths! This principle also holds true for gold fillings and crowns which are actually composites of several metals because gold alone would be too soft. Even porcelain dental material contains aluminum oxide and other metals. Metal-free dental materials are best.

In Dentistry Without Mercury authors Sam Ziff and Michael Ziff, DDS, note that the vast majority of people who have had their mercury amalgams replaced by non-metallic composite fillings have experienced improvements in their health. They cite studies that show 63% to 97% cure or improvement in all of the conditions mentioned above after amalgam removal.
Due to the overwhelming evidence regarding mercury poisoning from dental fillings, Sweden and some European countries have now officially banned amalgam fillings and are no longer teaching amalgam placement in dental schools. Other countries are quietly eliminating the practice without admitting liability. In Canada the issue has escalated into a class action lawsuit representing millions of Canadians who claim that they were not warned of the potential health risks of their mercury fillings.
In the United States, the American Dental Association (ADA) still stands by its story that mercury amalgams are safe. In fact, if a dentist in this country recommends that a patient remove his/her amalgam fillings in order to remove toxic substances from the body, that dentist is guilty of a breach of ethics and can lose his/her license to practice dentistry. This is actually what happened to Dr. Hal Huggins who wrote one of the most informative books on the subject, Uninformed Consent. Yet the ADA publicly absolves themselves of any liability in cases of dental mercury poisoning, letting the dentists fend for themselves. Recently on an Internet amalgam forum, it was reported that the ADA owns two patents on amalgams. According to this source, the amalgam manufacturing companies pay the ADA to put their seal of approval on their products.

If you choose to have your mercury amalgam fillings replaced by less toxic white composite fillings, it is important to go to a dentist that is familiar with safe removal procedures. For example, my dentist and his assistant wore gas masks during the procedure, while I was breathing pure oxygen. A negative ion generator and air purifier were in the room with a ventilation tube suspended above me pulling mercury vapors away as they worked. Though the impulse may be to have all of your fillings replaced at one time, if you have several fillings it is much easier on the body to replace one quadrant at a time over a period of a few months.

Once the fillings are removed, the next step is to detox the mercury that has been inside your body perhaps for many years. (Note by Jessica - you can see my many blog entries about safe chelation/detox here.)

Terri L. Saunders is an Herbalist and Certified Natural Health Professional in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she does private consultations, telephone consultations, and classes on natural healing. She can be reached at Sunrise Herb Shoppe, a unique holistic resource center for cutting edge natural health products and books. For information call 1-434-984-2665, or visit our web site at www.sunherb.com , or e-mail at sunherb@sunherb.com .

Watch this 15 year old's experience with mercury fillings and how his health was rapidly damaged after the placement of just TWO amalgams.

KJ's Story


Mercury Sources
So besides mercury fillings and fish, what other sources of mercury are there? The Rodale Institute has identified the top five mercury sources for us.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Warnings about mercury in fish and seafood have gotten plenty of attention in recent years. But where does all that mercury come from in the first place? Apparently, the largest sources of mercury emissions into our air and water are going all but unnoticed. A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring has found that mercury in the atmosphere is an oft-ignored form of air pollution, especially in urban areas where concentrations can reach dangerously high levels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been lax in its enforcement of mercury-pollution standards over the past decade, exempting major polluters. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can harm the developing brains of children and infants; in adults, exposure can lead to memory loss and affect fertility and blood pressure.

Here are the biggest emitters of mercury into the environment:

1. Coal-fired power plants. Mercury exists naturally in coal, making coal-fired power plants the largest source of mercury pollution in this country. Coal accounts for nearly 50 percent of the electricity generated in this country—and almost 50 tons of mercury emissions annually.
What you can do: Contact your electricity provider to see if buying green power is an alternative in your area. If it is, opt to get your energy from a less polluting source, such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric power.

2. Cement kilns. According to the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice, all the cement kilns in the U.S. combined pump out roughly 23,000 pounds of mercury every year. The mercury comes from coal, which is used to fuel the cement-manufacturing process, as well as limestone, another natural source of the heavy metal. The group released a report last July finding that, individually, some cement kilns emit nearly one and a half times more mercury than the most polluting coal-fired power plants. But because there are fewer kilns, they account for lower levels of atmospheric mercury overall than coal plants.
What you can do: Cleaning up this industrial process will take more political power than individual action, but you can lobby your local officials to put pressure on nearby cement kilns to clean up their acts. See if you live near a cement production facility by searching Earthjustice’s interactive map. If you do, support local environmental groups working for stricter mercury controls. You can also buy a water filter that’s certified to remove mercury from your drinking water, which will cut down on some of your exposure.

3. Chlor-alkali plants. Chlorine bleach, laundry detergent, cheap vinyl purses, shoes, and toys made with polyvinyl chloride (or PVC)—making all these products required the use of chlorine gas at some point. The chlor-alkali plants that produce it use mercury to convert salt to chlorine gas, and to convert salt to caustic soda, or lye, which is then used in products like detergent, plastics, and bleach. The nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that while most modern chlor-alkali plants have switched to mercury-free technology, there are still seven plants in the U.S. that use it, and each one has roughly 200 tons of mercury on site at any given time. An unknown amount of that mercury gets lost during manufacturing, whether to the air or surrounding waterways; a 2006 report from NRDC found that operators at four of these plants could account for only 29 of the 159 tons of the mercury they used from 2000 to 2004. (As Rodale.com reported earlier this year, some of those plants also make the ubiquitous food ingredient high-fructose corn syrup, and may be tainting food products with mercury.)
What you can do: Avoid chlorine-containing products like chlorine bleach, as well as anything made from polyvinyl chloride, including cheap handbags and shower curtains. Also look for chlorine-free paper products; paper production is the sixth largest mercury emitter in this country. Buy unbleached paper towels, coffee filters, and office paper. For the latter, look for the “Totally Chlorine Free” or “Processed Chlorine Free” labels on the package.

4. Trash incinerators. Hazardous waste, medical waste, and regular garbage incinerators release 13.1 tons (or about 26,000 pounds) of mercury every year, according to statistics from the EPA. The mercury comes from common household items, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and thermostats, and from automobile scrap. Despite common perceptions that mercury is used in thermometers and blood pressure machines, the medical industry has switched to mercury-free versions of those tools, and medical waste now accounts for the smallest percentage of mercury emissions from incinerators.
What you can do: Visit Environment, Health and Safety Online to see if an incinerator is located near you. Support local efforts to implement stricter mercury controls, and filter your water.

5. Gold mining. According to those same EPA statistics, 11.5 tons of mercury each year are released from gold mining, often called the most polluting industry in the world. Historically, mercury was used to separate gold from mined ore, but in Nevada, which accounts for 80 percent of the gold mined in the U.S., the ore itself contains mercury. The mercury is released when gold is heated to separate the two. The nonprofit group Earthworks estimates that gold mines account for nearly 25 percent of the mercury emissions west of Texas, and it’s not just the existing mines that pose problems. Mercury can seep out of long-abandoned gold mines, most of which are in California, which continue to release mercury from underground pools of mine tailings, despite the fact that they’ve been closed since the end of the 19th century. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that mine waters and sediments in these areas today release hundreds to thousands of pounds of mercury every year.
What you can do: Some major retailers, such as Tiffany & Co., have pledged to use only responsibly mined gold, free of mercury and other pollutants like cyanide. But the greenest, and cheapest, thing to do is opt for antique or estate jewelry when you’re shopping for bling.