This is an informative and entertaining video from TEDx NHH with Sebastian Lindstrom who works with The What Took You So Long Foundation. He shares bits and pieces of their movie (you will even see Grayson and our Facebook page mentioned), while narrating the experiences of their journey through dozens of countries filming about camel milk. This is a world wide initiative that is taking place. We are blessed to be gaining from this momentum.
Showing posts with label camel milk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camel milk. Show all posts
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Pumpkin pie latte...
...with FRESH pumpkin puree! Beat that Starbucks! This is why it's nice to have some fresh pumpkin puree laying around...
This recipe is made with you caregivers in mind. A good steamy cup of java to get you going so you can take care of those kiddos. Why not spend a little extra time on you today, you deserve it?
I just put a few tablespoons of pumpkin puree into a small pot and heated it with a little pumpkin seed milk (use milk or substitute of your choice) to thin it slightly and then added:
Not only is this tasty, preservative-free and sugar-free, but it offers a shot of real vitamin A, great for flu season! Oh, and one bonus is that it doesn't cost $4.
Now, if you are a camel milk drinker (or even, if you are not), I MUST show you how fabulously it froths for a latte!!
Here you have the camel milk poured before frothing. As you can see, it doesn't require much.
Check out that foam!!
This recipe is made with you caregivers in mind. A good steamy cup of java to get you going so you can take care of those kiddos. Why not spend a little extra time on you today, you deserve it?
- a good amount of pumpkin pie spice
- coconut sugar which tastes like brown sugar
- some xylitol to taste
- vanilla
Not only is this tasty, preservative-free and sugar-free, but it offers a shot of real vitamin A, great for flu season! Oh, and one bonus is that it doesn't cost $4.
Now, if you are a camel milk drinker (or even, if you are not), I MUST show you how fabulously it froths for a latte!!
Here you have the camel milk poured before frothing. As you can see, it doesn't require much.
Check out that foam!!
And there you have it!! HUGE frothy latte milk in seconds.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Another camel milk story to share
The author of this blog, Harshita, is a member of our camel milk facebook group. She has gone to great lengths to attain camel milk for her son and reading her story, you will see why.
Post 5 days of Camel Milk; Degeneration…Quest and…Discovery…
Post 5 days of Camel Milk; Degeneration…Quest and…Discovery…
Monday, July 25, 2011
A review of camel milk chocolate!
What is it about knowing that you can't have something, that makes us want it more? I never liked chocolate, that is until my nursing baby couldn't tolerate dairy and I had to completely avoid milk chocolate. Then even after he was done nursing and I tried to reintroduce dairy back into my diet....there was no way my body was having it. Yup, it was then the chocolate cravings began. I began searching for the perfect chocolate, my husband even spent big bucks buying specialty chocolates online to appease my new desire. To my dismay, all of these chocolates contained unhealthy ingredients like soy and hydrogenated oils. Then when I learned that I had hypothyroidism, gluten and soy were also out the window, along with any last shred of hope that I would ever enjoy a tasty chocolate again.
In my quest for information about camel milk, I learned about camel milk chocolate. Cool, but I didn't really think I could get it here in the States, because the company that makes it is in Dubai, UAE. Then I met Nancy and Gil Reigler of Oasis Camel Dairy through our Facebook page on Healing with Camel Milk. They actually sell this very chocolate in the United States!! Mr. Gil Reigler generously sent me a bar to try!!
The package arrived this afternoon, but I knew that if I wanted to sit and thoroughly enjoy this luxurious candy bar, I would need to wait until the kids were in bed. Patience.....
Now, here I sit with my candy bar. The dishes are washed, kids in bed and it's just me, the candy bar and the silence. It smells like milk chocolate, mmmmmm. Wow, it's smooth and creamy, very rich tasting!! YUM!! Uh oh, I like it a bit too much. I might eat this whole bar, no wait....I need to save some for my dairy-free sweets-loving husband to try and he's not here, darn! I would be evil not to. All joking aside, this chocolate bar conjures up memories of rich, velvety Swiss chocolate, good quality chocolate and not a hint of cow's milk to speak of, totally and completely cow-casein-free!! The ingredients are very simple: sugar, cocoa butter, whole camel milk powder, cocoa mass, honey, and bourbon vanilla. That's it! No soy, no gluten, no cow's milk!
So I've eaten three of the five strips already and am contemplating one more, is that greedy? I haven't had chocolate like this in YEARS, heck, I am going for it, one more strip....
In my quest for information about camel milk, I learned about camel milk chocolate. Cool, but I didn't really think I could get it here in the States, because the company that makes it is in Dubai, UAE. Then I met Nancy and Gil Reigler of Oasis Camel Dairy through our Facebook page on Healing with Camel Milk. They actually sell this very chocolate in the United States!! Mr. Gil Reigler generously sent me a bar to try!!
The package arrived this afternoon, but I knew that if I wanted to sit and thoroughly enjoy this luxurious candy bar, I would need to wait until the kids were in bed. Patience.....
So I've eaten three of the five strips already and am contemplating one more, is that greedy? I haven't had chocolate like this in YEARS, heck, I am going for it, one more strip....
Saturday, July 9, 2011
More camel milk GAINS
Normally when you see the word "gain" in my blog, it refers to progress being made with skills or behaviors. Not this time. This time, the gaining I am referring to is quite literal!
Just a few months ago, both boys were severely underweight and extremely low on the growth chart. Gavin had been labeled "failure to thrive" on a few occasions and Grayson was even more recently given this same title, because he crossed over two percentage thresholds on the growth chart, in the wrong direction. And these boys could EAT.
I started noticing that Grayson, who was always ahead by a few clothing sizes as an infant, was suddenly falling behind in his clothing sizes. He wasn't growing and as he aged, the gap increased. He was still able to wear 4T pants up until he was 5 1/2 years old! Gavin on the other hand was born small and grew slow, right from the beginning. When we took him to an allergist regarding his sensitivities to dairy and soy, the paperwork I was handed clearly spelled it out in black and white, he was failure to thrive, not even 3% on the growth chart! So when I share the changes we have seen, keep these little details in mind.
If you have been reading my blog, you know that we started the camel milk at the beginning of May, the 2nd to be exact (gotta love my journal!). Unfortunately, the last time I personally documented Gavin's growth chart was in March, but I can tell you that his growth was at a standstill for close to a year, and I had been weighing him just about daily right up until we started the camel milk and he was STILL the same weight, at minimum. On March 25th, he was just under 34 inches tall and 27 pounds, a number that is etched into my mind, because of how long he remained there, with no fluctuation whatsoever. And if I could tell you how much this child would eat, he was NEVER satisfied. It was disturbing really. He would get down from having two full bowls (adult sized) of oatmeal and blueberries with coconut oil and nectar on top just to run around the table and tell me he was still hungry. Before we stopped giving him eggs, he could eat 4 eggs, numerous pieces of bacon and still ask for more, at TWO years old. He had numerous snacks between meals and I was even adding oils to just about every meal to increase his calories by 300 per meal. I couldn't understand how a child could eat SO much and gain nothing. When we learned of his parasitic infection, that had us believing it could be related, and perhaps it was, we haven't retested recently.
So here is what we saw when we added the camel milk.
Gavin at a standstill of 27 lbs for ages, almost 34 inches tall last documented in March. He was actually finally up at a whole 10% for weight and 2.2% for height. Still failure to thrive in terms of height. The doctor even talked to us a bit about short stature at his last appointment.
Grayson's growth had noticeably slowed, he was floating around 39-40 lbs for a while and his height didn't seem to change for over a year, just based on his clothing. He didn't need anything new for SO long, and we actually found ourselves reusing clothes from the previous year in the last few seasons, that was the ultimate shocker!
On May 2nd, Gavin was still 27 lbs, I know, because I was weighing him nightly as part of our bedtime routine. On May 4th, he felt incredibly heavy to me suddenly so I plopped him on the scale out of curiosity and the number glaring back at me was 30 lbs! THIRTY POUNDS! He gained 3 pounds in just days! I was sure he would lose it, that it was temporary and would retreat. It never did!
Grayson didn't grow in the first weeks of the milk, at least in weight, we never thought to check his height, but I started noticing that both boys were growing out of their pants suddenly, and I mean like highwaters. And their shoes were suddenly too tight to wear.
On May 23rd Gavin weighed in at 31 lbs and 34.5 inches tall!
On May 29th he was still 31 pounds, but was now measuring at 35 inches! His percentages on the growth chart went from, are you ready for this....10% for weight to 46%!!! His height went from 2.2% to 7%!! He quadrupled his weight percentage and tripled his height percentage!! That is all in less than a month.
On May 29th I also measured Grayson since I was noticing his clothing shrinking on him by the day and he was 43 inches tall and 41.5 lbs, which means he had started also gaining weight. We were so shocked by Gavin's gains we were all focused on him, meanwhile, Grayson was growing in the shadows now too! It was more steadily, but it was definitely happening! He was now 10% for height and 23% for weight. Still on the lower side of the scale, but obviously better than he had to have been before his gains.
Today I measured them both again and in about a week, Grayson has jumped from 10% for height to 13% (43.5 inches) and from 23% in weight to 33% (43.5 lbs)! Oh and I should clarify that I always use the same website for these calculations so I am comparing apples to apples.
Gavin has slowed down in his growth, but is still growing steadily. Today he was 31.5 lbs and 35.5 inches! The new percentages are 47% for weight and 8% for height! His eating has significantly slowed since starting the camel milk and this is what I am in awe of....he went from eating like a man and still not growing, to barely finishing any of his meals or snacks, skipping snacks and GROWING rapidly!!
So to recap, in just over two months, two boys who were at a complete standstill in growth, jumped significant growth chart percentages and with nothing to blame except camel milk! Just take a look at those dates and numbers highlighted above, I am nothing short of amazed. Do I think it's worth the cost and the drive to obtain the milk? What do you think?
Just a few months ago, both boys were severely underweight and extremely low on the growth chart. Gavin had been labeled "failure to thrive" on a few occasions and Grayson was even more recently given this same title, because he crossed over two percentage thresholds on the growth chart, in the wrong direction. And these boys could EAT.
I started noticing that Grayson, who was always ahead by a few clothing sizes as an infant, was suddenly falling behind in his clothing sizes. He wasn't growing and as he aged, the gap increased. He was still able to wear 4T pants up until he was 5 1/2 years old! Gavin on the other hand was born small and grew slow, right from the beginning. When we took him to an allergist regarding his sensitivities to dairy and soy, the paperwork I was handed clearly spelled it out in black and white, he was failure to thrive, not even 3% on the growth chart! So when I share the changes we have seen, keep these little details in mind.
If you have been reading my blog, you know that we started the camel milk at the beginning of May, the 2nd to be exact (gotta love my journal!). Unfortunately, the last time I personally documented Gavin's growth chart was in March, but I can tell you that his growth was at a standstill for close to a year, and I had been weighing him just about daily right up until we started the camel milk and he was STILL the same weight, at minimum. On March 25th, he was just under 34 inches tall and 27 pounds, a number that is etched into my mind, because of how long he remained there, with no fluctuation whatsoever. And if I could tell you how much this child would eat, he was NEVER satisfied. It was disturbing really. He would get down from having two full bowls (adult sized) of oatmeal and blueberries with coconut oil and nectar on top just to run around the table and tell me he was still hungry. Before we stopped giving him eggs, he could eat 4 eggs, numerous pieces of bacon and still ask for more, at TWO years old. He had numerous snacks between meals and I was even adding oils to just about every meal to increase his calories by 300 per meal. I couldn't understand how a child could eat SO much and gain nothing. When we learned of his parasitic infection, that had us believing it could be related, and perhaps it was, we haven't retested recently.
So here is what we saw when we added the camel milk.
Gavin at a standstill of 27 lbs for ages, almost 34 inches tall last documented in March. He was actually finally up at a whole 10% for weight and 2.2% for height. Still failure to thrive in terms of height. The doctor even talked to us a bit about short stature at his last appointment.
Grayson's growth had noticeably slowed, he was floating around 39-40 lbs for a while and his height didn't seem to change for over a year, just based on his clothing. He didn't need anything new for SO long, and we actually found ourselves reusing clothes from the previous year in the last few seasons, that was the ultimate shocker!
On May 2nd, Gavin was still 27 lbs, I know, because I was weighing him nightly as part of our bedtime routine. On May 4th, he felt incredibly heavy to me suddenly so I plopped him on the scale out of curiosity and the number glaring back at me was 30 lbs! THIRTY POUNDS! He gained 3 pounds in just days! I was sure he would lose it, that it was temporary and would retreat. It never did!
Grayson didn't grow in the first weeks of the milk, at least in weight, we never thought to check his height, but I started noticing that both boys were growing out of their pants suddenly, and I mean like highwaters. And their shoes were suddenly too tight to wear.
On May 23rd Gavin weighed in at 31 lbs and 34.5 inches tall!
On May 29th he was still 31 pounds, but was now measuring at 35 inches! His percentages on the growth chart went from, are you ready for this....10% for weight to 46%!!! His height went from 2.2% to 7%!! He quadrupled his weight percentage and tripled his height percentage!! That is all in less than a month.
On May 29th I also measured Grayson since I was noticing his clothing shrinking on him by the day and he was 43 inches tall and 41.5 lbs, which means he had started also gaining weight. We were so shocked by Gavin's gains we were all focused on him, meanwhile, Grayson was growing in the shadows now too! It was more steadily, but it was definitely happening! He was now 10% for height and 23% for weight. Still on the lower side of the scale, but obviously better than he had to have been before his gains.
Today I measured them both again and in about a week, Grayson has jumped from 10% for height to 13% (43.5 inches) and from 23% in weight to 33% (43.5 lbs)! Oh and I should clarify that I always use the same website for these calculations so I am comparing apples to apples.
Gavin has slowed down in his growth, but is still growing steadily. Today he was 31.5 lbs and 35.5 inches! The new percentages are 47% for weight and 8% for height! His eating has significantly slowed since starting the camel milk and this is what I am in awe of....he went from eating like a man and still not growing, to barely finishing any of his meals or snacks, skipping snacks and GROWING rapidly!!
So to recap, in just over two months, two boys who were at a complete standstill in growth, jumped significant growth chart percentages and with nothing to blame except camel milk! Just take a look at those dates and numbers highlighted above, I am nothing short of amazed. Do I think it's worth the cost and the drive to obtain the milk? What do you think?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
What Took You So Long....globe trotting camel milk
The What took You So Long Foundation is a group of film makers globe-trotting and living among the natives in remote corners of the earth to make a documentary about camel milk. They film stories that mobilize movements and hope to take camel milk on that ride with them....or is it the other way around? Either way, timing couldn't be more perfect.
When I was on my hunt for as much information as I could get my hands on regarding the benefits and risks of raw camel milk as a health tonic, I came across a Facebook page called "Camel milk is the new oil". This is where I originally "met" Philipa Young, the writer for the What Took You So Long Foundation. We connected on two levels very near and dear to me, writing and camel milk. She obviously had a lot of experience with the benefits of camel milk and even guided me through some of our concerns as we attempted our first days of using it therapeutically with our boys. Little did I know that she and the rest of the crew had already spent the last year documenting stories in 18 countries, interviewing camel dairy owners, camel farmers, doctors, camel milk drinkers and even some of the world's only camel cheese makers. That's quite the tear sheet! I would say she has *some* experience...
Nicole and I decided to bring the camel-milk-drinking community together in one place by creating our own Facebook page, the intent was to find others looking to heal their children with camel milk and to spread the word. We were thrilled to see our list of members growing astronomically and among them were a few key members of the traveling crew. The more experience we could bring together, the better the odds are of people trying this new therapy. Power in numbers. If we can travel the journey together, we can help one another with a therapy that is new to the autism community. And if you have ever met a biomedical mom, where there is a will there IS a way! If she has to fly to the Middle East herself to milk the camel and bring back the milk.....well, ok, that may be stretching it a bit, lol, but you get my point. Luckily for us, there are camel dairy farmers in the US! But these moms will drive the length of the country to heal their children, if that is what it will take. You've heard, "Build it and they will come", well, if there is a therapy that works for the autistic community, these moms are among the first to be there with bells on!
So enter Alicia Sully, the film maker. She cheerily began chatting on our FB page, joining in the discussions we were having about our children and their undeniable changes on the camel milk. Before we knew it, we were planning to meet her during a visit to the US for her sister's wedding!
There aren't enough kind words to describe Alicia, she is possibly one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is endearing, caring, sincere, enlightening and so talented. We had the pleasure of her company for two days while she filmed our family and our friend Nicole's family for their documentary. They have filmed all the "science" behind the milk, now it's time to bring this to the world in the shape of real families. Viewers won't have to wonder, "How does this effect me?" from great distances, because they are going to bring that spin to the table. It isn't just for Bedouins anymore, you don't have to cross the oceans to taste it and yes, it IS attainable for the average family. Unfortunately, because of the cost here in the US, the average family probably won't have camel milk on their dinner table, but for those seeking natural, effective treatments for illnesses like: gastrointestinal dysfunction, allergies, diabetes, autism, autoimmune diseases, among many other ailments, it is very doable. We hope to see this change though, by increasing the supply and demand, perhaps it CAN be a daily staple for the average person some day.
The key to options like this is awareness and spreading the word!
I snapped a few pictures of Alicia filming and of course, she had to try our milk to compare to the 18 other countries she has tasted camel milk in!
When I was on my hunt for as much information as I could get my hands on regarding the benefits and risks of raw camel milk as a health tonic, I came across a Facebook page called "Camel milk is the new oil". This is where I originally "met" Philipa Young, the writer for the What Took You So Long Foundation. We connected on two levels very near and dear to me, writing and camel milk. She obviously had a lot of experience with the benefits of camel milk and even guided me through some of our concerns as we attempted our first days of using it therapeutically with our boys. Little did I know that she and the rest of the crew had already spent the last year documenting stories in 18 countries, interviewing camel dairy owners, camel farmers, doctors, camel milk drinkers and even some of the world's only camel cheese makers. That's quite the tear sheet! I would say she has *some* experience...
Nicole and I decided to bring the camel-milk-drinking community together in one place by creating our own Facebook page, the intent was to find others looking to heal their children with camel milk and to spread the word. We were thrilled to see our list of members growing astronomically and among them were a few key members of the traveling crew. The more experience we could bring together, the better the odds are of people trying this new therapy. Power in numbers. If we can travel the journey together, we can help one another with a therapy that is new to the autism community. And if you have ever met a biomedical mom, where there is a will there IS a way! If she has to fly to the Middle East herself to milk the camel and bring back the milk.....well, ok, that may be stretching it a bit, lol, but you get my point. Luckily for us, there are camel dairy farmers in the US! But these moms will drive the length of the country to heal their children, if that is what it will take. You've heard, "Build it and they will come", well, if there is a therapy that works for the autistic community, these moms are among the first to be there with bells on!
So enter Alicia Sully, the film maker. She cheerily began chatting on our FB page, joining in the discussions we were having about our children and their undeniable changes on the camel milk. Before we knew it, we were planning to meet her during a visit to the US for her sister's wedding!
There aren't enough kind words to describe Alicia, she is possibly one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is endearing, caring, sincere, enlightening and so talented. We had the pleasure of her company for two days while she filmed our family and our friend Nicole's family for their documentary. They have filmed all the "science" behind the milk, now it's time to bring this to the world in the shape of real families. Viewers won't have to wonder, "How does this effect me?" from great distances, because they are going to bring that spin to the table. It isn't just for Bedouins anymore, you don't have to cross the oceans to taste it and yes, it IS attainable for the average family. Unfortunately, because of the cost here in the US, the average family probably won't have camel milk on their dinner table, but for those seeking natural, effective treatments for illnesses like: gastrointestinal dysfunction, allergies, diabetes, autism, autoimmune diseases, among many other ailments, it is very doable. We hope to see this change though, by increasing the supply and demand, perhaps it CAN be a daily staple for the average person some day.
The key to options like this is awareness and spreading the word!
I snapped a few pictures of Alicia filming and of course, she had to try our milk to compare to the 18 other countries she has tasted camel milk in!
What a delight it was to have Alicia with us, I only wish she could have stayed longer! I am inspired by the passion she shares with her team to offer these special stories worldwide. They wish to send a powerful message about sustainability and natural healing and I am ever so gracious to be on this journey with them in our own unique way. My goal in writing this blog has always been to help others heal their children and now the reach has extended even further with the help of this fabulous team of talented writers. They have opened my eyes to possibilities I didn't even know were attainable, for that I thank you What Took You So Long Foundation!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Why does camel milk work?
The answer to that question is so complex, but I would bet it has something to do with the nutritional deficiencies our children tend to have as part of the complex myriad of symptoms they experience. They have problems with absorbing nutrients, because of the landscape of their compromised intestines, and it's those very nutrients the camel milk provides in a "food" source, making them more bio-available to our immune-compromised children. And that brings me to the camel nanaoglobulins that mimic the human immune system, literally! They are minuscule in size by comparison, but look exactly like ours, their size allows them to cross through cells so when you drink the milk, you are filling your blood (and intestines) with these nanoglobulins. This is equivalent to an IVIG treatment!! For those who dont't know what IVIG is, here is a brief description found online:
"Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a solution of highly purified immunoglobulin G, derived from large pools of human plasma that contain antibodies against a broad spectrum of bacterial and viral agents. This solution is delivered intravenously and is used primarily to treat three categories of illnesses: immunodeficiencies, autoimmune neuromuscular disorders, and certain rheumatologic conditions."
IVIG is VERY expensive and very rarely covered entirely by insurance. I have heard that out of pocket quotes often exceed $5000 even for those who HAVE insurance coverage for some of it! And most people require IVIG multiple times. Sure makes the camel milk look cheap, doesn't it?
Camel milk is anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It's a wonder why we get such great results when you combine all these traits in one power packed serving! It MUST be raw to get these benefits!
Speaking of results....lets talk about my kids. We've been on the camel milk for 24 days as of today. We were originally only using half of the recommended dose with each child daily and seeing a wide variety of improvements. I want to know it's full potential though, so we are increasing. I started increasing two days ago and we are now on a pint and a half a day, between the two of them. Two pints would be about the recommended dose, give or take a few ounces. It certainly isn't hard to get in them, they love it! Yeay for that! I don't have to squirt it, pop it open, mix it or pour it into them!! And they enjoy it, something I gain pleasure in! Our kids are troopers, they take concoctions of the nastiest tasting stuff on earth without a flinch! So a treatment they love?! Sign me up!!
I just can't get over the changes with Grayson! If you read my earlier entries about his aggression, his tics, his negativity, his inconsistencies.....itching, head swattting, bloating, sleep disturbances, severely emotional outbursts, my goodness, life was never dull around here!! He was so volatile I wouldn't even sign him up for activities. I was literally afraid of his behaviors, would he tantrum and cry uncontrollably, because he doesn't want to do something; would he freak out from lack of confidence; would he just completely resist participation? We tried a few things like soccer and ice skating. He zoned out on the field in soccer and he refused participation with ice skating. I gave up and I am not a giving up sort of mom, but he had my endurance beat, I just couldn't fight another fight, nor was it healthy.
Fast forward to today, these are the traits I see in Grayson on a CONSISTENT basis now and yes, this is SINCE the milk!!
Gavin is flourishing too, as you have probably read in previous entries about the camel milk. He's just a fire cracker! He's affectionate and powerful at once. He's our little daredevil with control, loves to make people laugh, but is a lovey too. He's kept all of his gains, but I notice that with him, when I increase the milk, we get a period of what resembles die-off. His stools change, his temperament becomes less tolerant, and he becomes excessively hyper temporarily. I am taking this to mean that he needs the increase and that we will need to continue to increase until this subsides. Keep in mind that he has a virulent parasite and I am hoping the milk is doing something about that! I would expect some die-off with anything that could be working!
I can't wait to see what more camel milk brings!! If anyone reading this has been on the fence about camel milk, I give you a resounding "TRY IT!" Don't let this opportunity pass you by, you may never know what real healing is until you give it a shot! My husband and I are even considering using it for ourselves, if we decide to stop it for the kids (as in done healing). It's THAT phenomenal!
"Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a solution of highly purified immunoglobulin G, derived from large pools of human plasma that contain antibodies against a broad spectrum of bacterial and viral agents. This solution is delivered intravenously and is used primarily to treat three categories of illnesses: immunodeficiencies, autoimmune neuromuscular disorders, and certain rheumatologic conditions."
IVIG is VERY expensive and very rarely covered entirely by insurance. I have heard that out of pocket quotes often exceed $5000 even for those who HAVE insurance coverage for some of it! And most people require IVIG multiple times. Sure makes the camel milk look cheap, doesn't it?
Camel milk is anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It's a wonder why we get such great results when you combine all these traits in one power packed serving! It MUST be raw to get these benefits!
Speaking of results....lets talk about my kids. We've been on the camel milk for 24 days as of today. We were originally only using half of the recommended dose with each child daily and seeing a wide variety of improvements. I want to know it's full potential though, so we are increasing. I started increasing two days ago and we are now on a pint and a half a day, between the two of them. Two pints would be about the recommended dose, give or take a few ounces. It certainly isn't hard to get in them, they love it! Yeay for that! I don't have to squirt it, pop it open, mix it or pour it into them!! And they enjoy it, something I gain pleasure in! Our kids are troopers, they take concoctions of the nastiest tasting stuff on earth without a flinch! So a treatment they love?! Sign me up!!
I just can't get over the changes with Grayson! If you read my earlier entries about his aggression, his tics, his negativity, his inconsistencies.....itching, head swattting, bloating, sleep disturbances, severely emotional outbursts, my goodness, life was never dull around here!! He was so volatile I wouldn't even sign him up for activities. I was literally afraid of his behaviors, would he tantrum and cry uncontrollably, because he doesn't want to do something; would he freak out from lack of confidence; would he just completely resist participation? We tried a few things like soccer and ice skating. He zoned out on the field in soccer and he refused participation with ice skating. I gave up and I am not a giving up sort of mom, but he had my endurance beat, I just couldn't fight another fight, nor was it healthy.
Fast forward to today, these are the traits I see in Grayson on a CONSISTENT basis now and yes, this is SINCE the milk!!
- Amazing confidence! He will try anything and although he hates failure (not a bad thing) he isnt' freaking out or hitting himself in the head over it. He picks himself up (figruatively speaking) dusts himself off and moves on.
- We've signed him up for guitar lessons and I am so impressed with him! He is learning very fast, he is willing to attempt anything we ask him to try, he doesn't fight me when I ask him to practice (although it's in short spurts, lol, hey whatever works). He is willing to "perform" the things he learns without hesitation.
- He is happy every day, VERY happy and not the overly giddy kind of yeasty happiness, but a real genuine happiness. Coming from the deep, dark caves of anger that Clostridia brings, this is a HUGE and very welcome change. There was nothing worse than watching our 5 year old wake up angry at the world, his pajamas too tight, clothes bothering him, shoes won't go on right, chair isn't even, everything was too something and the reaction was far beyond extreme, it was frightening. I am so so so SO relieved to see this change so consistently!
- He's interested in playing with Gavin who has a very challenging personality, but he makes it work most days lately. There is often a lot of fighting, because Grayson is so controlling, but he has been slowly opening up to listening to Gavin (when I request him to do so). In the past, he would stomp off, crossing his arms, yelling that he wanted to "be alone". Now he is listening to me calmly and trying whatever I suggest. Wow!
- Compliance!!
- His flexibility is amazing. We haven't had any issues with transition at all.
- Consistency - did I mention this AGAIN? HAHAHA In the past we have called him Jekyll and Hyde, because from one moment to the next, he would flip from happy to emotional, then angry, then giddy (too happy), it was an exhausting roller coaster ride to parent him. He's consistent, he's happy, he's flexible and compliant. This is what normal is all about!!
Gavin is flourishing too, as you have probably read in previous entries about the camel milk. He's just a fire cracker! He's affectionate and powerful at once. He's our little daredevil with control, loves to make people laugh, but is a lovey too. He's kept all of his gains, but I notice that with him, when I increase the milk, we get a period of what resembles die-off. His stools change, his temperament becomes less tolerant, and he becomes excessively hyper temporarily. I am taking this to mean that he needs the increase and that we will need to continue to increase until this subsides. Keep in mind that he has a virulent parasite and I am hoping the milk is doing something about that! I would expect some die-off with anything that could be working!
I can't wait to see what more camel milk brings!! If anyone reading this has been on the fence about camel milk, I give you a resounding "TRY IT!" Don't let this opportunity pass you by, you may never know what real healing is until you give it a shot! My husband and I are even considering using it for ourselves, if we decide to stop it for the kids (as in done healing). It's THAT phenomenal!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Camel milk ice cream?!
I am an immediate gratification kind of girl so we use the Cuisinart ice cream maker which literally makes your pureed mixtures into soft creamy ice cream within 30 minutes so you can plan and make your home made ice cream or sorbet with little planning, as long as you store the freezer bowl in the freezer. It doesn't require any added ingredients either.
Recipe (pretty darn easy!)
1/2 a mango
1 banana
1 C. camel milk (or any raw milk of choice)
1/2 C. coconut nectar
3 Tbsp coconut concentrate (Tropical Traditions)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (Santa Cruz organic juices)
After adding the mango, banana, and lime juice to your blender, add a little water to the 8 ounce mark (I didn't measure how much water this actually is, lol) then add the coconut nectar and blend like a smoothie. Add the camel milk and gently blend (it foams very easily which is why I leave it out for the high powered blending). Pour into your ice cream maker and there you have it!! Easy, healthy treats! You could also pour the mixture into ice pop trays for an easy ice-cream-maker-free idea! It will make a nice creamy Popsicle!
It does melt fast, but the kids enjoy using a straw when the thick stuff is gone. I am curious to see how it freezes and then scoops. Some of the ice creams that use a lot of water tend to get very hard to scoop after freezing, but this has very little water so I am hoping for a better outcome. They will have more this afternoon, so we will see!
UPDATE - It's hard to scoop into when it's frozen, so it needs a lot of defrost time, but unfortunately that also means less time to eat it, because then it melts fast. The fix for this is to add some sunflower lecithin to the recipe before blending which will act as an emulsifier. =)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The ironies of camel milk
The boys have reacted completely differently in many ways. They both have had some similar changes too though, like their BMs. Both had very strange (warning - graphic here) fluffy, chunky, floaty BMs for the first two days. Then they went from that to absolutely perfect BMs!! This happened both when we first introduced it and then again after our break and the reintroduction, with both kids. The stools reminded me of the reaction Grayson had when he was on Flagyl for Clostridia. That was the ONLY other time I saw such an odd, almost cotton candy-like stool. So was it die-off of some sort?? It did come with some emotional behaviors.
Both have also been talking a whole LOT more, little jabber jaws, only problem is that they don't have the awareness (or maybe it's the volume control) to realize that their brother is also talking....AT THE SAME TIME! It's getting exhausting, lol. They are both so excited and happy, they are just babbling away uncontrollably, about everything!! And while we are on the topic of speech, Gavin's vocabulary, cognition and sentences have just been out of this world while on the camel milk!! While he is talking, the eye contact is amazing. I love that his eyes are glowing in the process, so much innocence and excitement in them. He is using words I didn't even know he knew like Tyrannosaurus! He pointed to silly bands and called them wrist bands. His word recollection and complete sentences are continuing to amaze us. You can see his cognitive changes even in his new facial expressions. For instance, when I catch him in the act of doing something wrong (which seems to be often lately)...in the past, he wouldn't have even looked at me, let alone reacted. Now, he is looking me right in the eye with a face of shock, mouth open, stunned, like "oh shit", lol. He's also using the phrases, "I'm sorry", "I missed you" and "I love you mommy" all at very appropriate times. In fact, he's clever, when he's in trouble, he looks intensely into my eyes for a moment, as if he is reading my emotion and then he says, "I love you"....melts my heart!! And his humor, oh my goodness, this kid has such a sense of humor!! He's been so goofy, animated and interactive. He's also listening to direction better. In the past, if I asked him to pull up his pants or take off his own shoes, he would whine and cry until I came over to help him. Now, one request and he does it, then when he has a twisted waist band or something, he says, "Mommy help me, please." Wow!! And I thought he was just a defiant soul. We are seeing an awakening with him that we have never seen before, but it doesn't come without some difficult changes and I am not sure what to make of them. For instance, he is suddenly into EVERYTHING. I can't turn my head and let him out of sight for any period of time, he disappears and I find him climbing furniture with step stools, getting into my make-up, his diaper cream, things in the kitchen sink....you name it!! Typical two year old curiosity? Perhaps, and I welcome it, if this is the norm, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle cold-turkey!! I wasn't eased into this change! It didn't develop at a pace that broke me in, he woke up one day like this! It's all so very strange to comprehend. He certainly is playing more on his own now, but it now comes with a price. Silence is my new enemy! Lately he has more personality than I am capable of reeling in!! We both need lessons on where the new boundaries will exist.
In the first two days of starting the camel milk, Gavin gained 2 pounds!! I had weighed him just days before starting it (because I weigh him almost daily, lol) and then two days later his weight went from 27-29 pounds overnight! I kid you not. I kept waiting to see that weight drop thinking it would be temporary, but even when they were off the milk for a long weekend, it remained! I had read about how it increases bone density and in studies it caused the same kind of immediate weight gain in a child from the absorb-able calcium it provides.
Grayson has reacted so differently. His tummy has stayed flat for the entire period!! His mood is very calm, eerily calm, like a mature boy! He still has periods of emotional outbursts, but they seem to fizzle fast and are always followed by immediate remorse. It's as if he is acting out of habit and then realizes how wrong the behavior was. He is telling us he loves us much more now, and hugging us a lot! He has even been able to verbalize his emotional needs. He told me he needed more "mommy time" and was wondering why only daddy has time to play with him most days. Of course, this was right in the middle of when I was making breakfast from scratch for both of them, before lugging him off to his bus stop for the day, lol. I had to remind him of the days we spend together, guitar lessons that I take him to, the movie we just went to alone (he and I) a week ago, the books I read him, doing arts and crafts together, but of course, if he needs more of me, I want to fulfill his needs so I swapped bedtime duties with my husband that night (he put Gavin down) so I that I could put him to bed and spend more time with him. We read together and goofed around, he laid on me and rubbed my arm while I read, we hugged and laughed and made funny faces. I love that he felt confident enough to tell me how he felt and I hope he felt like it got a response. He's our sensitive little guy, very emotional with both his give and take of relationships. I am so proud of the development he is experiencing.
With both of them, the one thing I am having a very hard time with is how hyped up they get at night/bedtime and I honestly don't even know, if this is the milk or just coincidental timing. It seems to be a trend that we see with every New Moon, which is two weeks before the full moon. Gavin has also gotten severely bloated, the red ring came back again and his moods are becoming more volatile. He's still been playing on his own pretty well, which normally isn't the case when he is going through a parasitic growth period, plus he has kept the gains we have seen with the camel milk, so it's been an odd combination of progress and regression. Another thing we ALWAYS see cycle around the moon phases is potty training regression. It's awful!! He is going to be three in a month and a half, I can't believe how he just regresses so horribly around the New Moon, but it must have something to do with the Dientamoeba Fragilis. We have to figure out a way to deal with this nasty bug, because naturals aren't cutting it. I think we will retest, since our DAN! told us to try another couple of rounds of natural parasite cleanses and then, if they don't work, we can travel down the RX road. Maybe the camel milk will help....HTH!
UPDATE on Thursday the 12th - I just cannot get over how incredibly aware Gavin is, and since this experience was very different from usual, I wanted to report it here. Gavin and I have been going to music class together for weeks. He has always just sat in my lap quietly while I participate in the singing and dancing. Even my attempts to help him clap or sway were met with harsh resistance. He hid behind my legs when people would talk to him, he was very intimidated by the environment. One thing he has always participated in was instrument use. He would get very excited when instruments were part of the song, going into his own little world while playing along with the music. But when participation involved following instruction, he would immediately shut down again.
We haven't been to a class since the week we started the camel milk, because we've had a lot going on with the house, so this was our first class since starting the milk. I thought he would be even more reserved, considering the two week span since our last attendance. I was pleasantly surprised with the exact opposite! He had me stunned through every minute of the class starting with the minute he stepped through the door. He greeted his instructor and two other class mates by name. When one of the parents asked his son, if he remembered Gavin's name, Gavin promptly replied, "Gavin!" with a big grin on his face. He was pulling me to sit, which is how we start. He couldn't wait to get going, wow, already different!! Instinctually, he started out on my lap, like usual, but then he looked around at the other kids sitting beside their parents and he plopped himself on the floor next to me, double-wow! I have never been able to convince him to sit beside me. Then the singing began and wouldn't you believe, this child sitting next to me must have replaced himself with my child, because he was Mr. Animated!! He followed every single hand motion, lyric and step in the classroom! I had to work hard to hold the tears back and I kept watching him in awe, loosing my own place in the songs. I couldn't believe it, this was like night and day! He even answered questions out loud, when no one else did. He was proud to add his own lyrics to the songs when prompted. I didn't even recognize him. I could see his teacher looking at him through most of the class, even she noticed how "on" he was today. He was happy, confident, and on cue. He has never had another day like this before. If this is what camel milk is going to do for us, I'm on board!
P.S. - he is now 30 pounds and holding it!!
Friday, May 13, 2011
If it's not one thing, it's another
We are glad that the majority of the mold work end is near and we've stocked up on more camel milk to last us for at least the next couple of weeks, but it never fails, as we sheer the heights of one hurdle, we find ourselves facing yet another, with barely enough time to take a breath between jumps.
After having such a wonderful day yesterday, Gavin took a turn for the worse today. He woke up in great spirits, but was craving tv horribly so I let him watch a few short shows. He had an accident in his pants which looked like watery diarrhea that he couldn't control. He finished on the little potty, because it was closest. When I emptied it, I noticed that there were black thread-like things stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl. I've never seen anything like this in his stool before so I took a closer look. They looked like worms, with tapered ends. They were slightly thicker than a piece of hair and although they were so fragile looking, they were pretty hearty when I picked them up with a wooden skewer. There were probably 5 or so of them in the bottom of the bowl after dumping the majority of what was in it, so I don't know how many were actually in the entire BM, and they ranged from 1-2 inches in length.
In my research, the only thing I could come up with that remotely resembled what I found in his stool was blood flukes (other than banana fibers, but he hasn't had them in almost a week)! They terrify me, because they can travel throughout the body and prefer to reside in organs like the liver, intestines, lungs and brain where they do their damage. They can cause seizures among other scary things, if untreated. With Grayson's lengthy coughing problem, I worry about them in the lungs! Parasites are so contagious that it would be silly to assume that Grayson isn't also infected with whatever this is. I sent a picture to their doctor to see what he thinks. I am sure he is going to recommend a stool test, which most likely won't find anything unless we pay for a special lab that has the technology to test for these specialized parasites....and frankly, with all the work being done on our house (and no idea of what it is going to cost), the cost of the camel milk, having two birthday boys' parties around the corner, two trips to Connecticut back to back....there just isn't anything left!
What baffles me is, if these are parasites, why are they coming out dead? Could it be that the camel milk is killing something or is it that the camel milk has caused them and everything else we use is killing them? I would think they couldn't grow and show up quite so fast though, we only started the camel milk about a week and a half ago, plus the came owner just had testing of his camels the week before we bought our stash. I have read that fluke infestations often go undetected for years before the adults become visible. I have such a hard time thinking any parasites could live so long in my kids considering all the things they get daily including coconut milk and oil, pumpkin seeds pancakes twice a week and all of the potent anti-microbials we give them three times a day. They are all supposed to be anti-parasitic. This just goes to show you how persistent these nasty critters are. I have read that the camel milk has been known to address persistent parasite problems in people who had been fighting them unsuccessfully for years, so perhaps this is a flushing of some sort.
As soon as he passed them, he became particularly needy, whiny and demanding. It was like someone turned on a switch! He had to go down for his nap earlier than usual, because he just wasn't himself. I gave him a dose of the W-W by Pure Herbs and a small portion of a Goldenseal capsule with his afternoon anti-microbials so I am sure he's going to wake in a nasty mood, if we are killing something. I will have to use this with Grayson as well and even took some myself.
So as usual, onward....research, research, research.
After having such a wonderful day yesterday, Gavin took a turn for the worse today. He woke up in great spirits, but was craving tv horribly so I let him watch a few short shows. He had an accident in his pants which looked like watery diarrhea that he couldn't control. He finished on the little potty, because it was closest. When I emptied it, I noticed that there were black thread-like things stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl. I've never seen anything like this in his stool before so I took a closer look. They looked like worms, with tapered ends. They were slightly thicker than a piece of hair and although they were so fragile looking, they were pretty hearty when I picked them up with a wooden skewer. There were probably 5 or so of them in the bottom of the bowl after dumping the majority of what was in it, so I don't know how many were actually in the entire BM, and they ranged from 1-2 inches in length.
In my research, the only thing I could come up with that remotely resembled what I found in his stool was blood flukes (other than banana fibers, but he hasn't had them in almost a week)! They terrify me, because they can travel throughout the body and prefer to reside in organs like the liver, intestines, lungs and brain where they do their damage. They can cause seizures among other scary things, if untreated. With Grayson's lengthy coughing problem, I worry about them in the lungs! Parasites are so contagious that it would be silly to assume that Grayson isn't also infected with whatever this is. I sent a picture to their doctor to see what he thinks. I am sure he is going to recommend a stool test, which most likely won't find anything unless we pay for a special lab that has the technology to test for these specialized parasites....and frankly, with all the work being done on our house (and no idea of what it is going to cost), the cost of the camel milk, having two birthday boys' parties around the corner, two trips to Connecticut back to back....there just isn't anything left!
What baffles me is, if these are parasites, why are they coming out dead? Could it be that the camel milk is killing something or is it that the camel milk has caused them and everything else we use is killing them? I would think they couldn't grow and show up quite so fast though, we only started the camel milk about a week and a half ago, plus the came owner just had testing of his camels the week before we bought our stash. I have read that fluke infestations often go undetected for years before the adults become visible. I have such a hard time thinking any parasites could live so long in my kids considering all the things they get daily including coconut milk and oil, pumpkin seeds pancakes twice a week and all of the potent anti-microbials we give them three times a day. They are all supposed to be anti-parasitic. This just goes to show you how persistent these nasty critters are. I have read that the camel milk has been known to address persistent parasite problems in people who had been fighting them unsuccessfully for years, so perhaps this is a flushing of some sort.
As soon as he passed them, he became particularly needy, whiny and demanding. It was like someone turned on a switch! He had to go down for his nap earlier than usual, because he just wasn't himself. I gave him a dose of the W-W by Pure Herbs and a small portion of a Goldenseal capsule with his afternoon anti-microbials so I am sure he's going to wake in a nasty mood, if we are killing something. I will have to use this with Grayson as well and even took some myself.
So as usual, onward....research, research, research.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Writer's block, but so much to report
I think when a lot is going on at once, I lose the insight it takes to write from my heart and soul. I am so overwhelmed with the flurries around me that I just keep putting writing off until I have something specific to focus on. So for now, I am going to attempt to push myself for fear of forgetting to report something going on in our biomedical world. And so much of it is important.
The hot topics for today are mold repairs, a 504 plan for Grayson at school, IgG food panels for both boys and camel milk!
MOLD
So I will start with the oldest news, the mold. We are still eyeball deep in trying to figure out how bad the problem is. The location where the leak occurred is the most obnoxious place to reach, it's directly behind where the deck is attached to the house. You guessed it, the deck has had to be loosened (today in fact) to provide access to the wet wood. Yesterday the contractor working on providing the mold company with access to the mold, pulled up the tiles for the sub floor that was wet, and he removed ALL of the siding on the backside of the house under the deck, plus some from above the deck to be sure that they follow protocol which is to remove anything within a foot of the damage.
You can see from the pictures how they are trying to access the side of the house where the deck connects to it!The picture to the left shows the mudroom door above the deck and our window in the basement, below. To the right is the siding removed where the mold is, which is around and to the right of the window. The worst of it all is located just to the right of the mudroom door (picture below) so today he actually removed more siding and deck towards the slider (this picture is from yesterday). He also loosened the lag bolts that connect the deck to the house!
Gimme the 504
Something interesting came about from Grayson's food infractions on the bus....a 504 plan stems from the Americans with Disabilities Act. A 504 plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for students who have: physical impairments; illnesses or injuries; communicable diseases; chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes; and learning problems. They make accommodations to offer them the opportunity to perform at the same level as their peers, and might include such things as wheelchair ramps, blood sugar monitoring, an extra set of textbooks, a peanut-free lunch environment, home instruction, or a tape recorder or keyboard for taking notes.
For Grayson, this specifically addresses the bus situation as well as handwriting. And let me just say briefly, the bus situation is a God-send. He's been driven to and from school by a mini van (like a personal chauffeur) with one other child, a friend's child actually! And how does handwriting come into play? Well, when Grayson was having the food infractions his handwriting went down the tubes, he was complaining of being too tired to write, he was uninterested and his writing was atrocious! His teacher and I spoke about this (keep in mind we didn't know about the food infractions at the time) and I mentioned how in the past he had he had been diagnosed as having delayed fine motor skills. I wasn't sure this was our problem, but we both thought it was possible and decided on having an evaluation done, to be sure. In the time between having the evaluation done and receiving the results, we discovered that he was eating gluten and casein among many other things he can't have, all resulting in personality changes as well as physical changes. Once we got his diet cleaned back up, his writing soared!! His mood improved, his interest skyrocketed and even his teacher said, "He can't be stopped!". His evaluation identified a few areas to target, besides his fine motor skills which are actually pretty on target with other kids his age (yeay!), it didn't used to be!! But his sensory issues came up, visual and auditory processing as well as muscular (tone) problems that can effect his ability to participate in school. So the 504 plan allows him to have 30 minutes of occupational therapy once a week, the "private" bus, and a sensory "diet" at school which is anything he needs to be able to function without distraction, this could mean therapeutic brushing, weighted blankets, joint compression, which all help with prioprioception.
You might wonder why I didn't stop the process when we noticed the food infraction was our cause when even the teacher noticed how he has made a considerable change since resolving the issue....this is because I feel like OT can offer him some other solutions to things that might still need addressing while we go through the process of healing him from the inside out. Having the additional coping mechanisms at his fingertips is a benefit many kids don't have and I want to take advantage of anything that can help him stay in the playing field. He's been doing exceptionally well since the "incidents" and even the teacher has commented on his remarkable composure, maturity and interest lately. This is a testament to the things we do....and why. I love the opportunity for those around me to see what value there is in dietary changes. It's a big problem in our Nation and it needs awareness. This is the best way to create awareness, real life situations. No one can deny the changes they have witnessed in this situation and every person involved has voiced that opinion. During our meeting with the school and therapists, it was clear that they believe in the power of healing through foods. They supported my efforts and plan to continue to do so. I am so thankful for this school every single day!
Culprit foods
On that note, when he was clearly exposed to both gluten and dairy at minimum, we decided to take advantage of the timing and order an IgG food panel update to see, if he was/is still sensitive to these foods. I have also wondered, if there were any other foods that could be causing some inconsistencies in his moods. They have been bearable and nowhere near the way things were in the past, but it still appeared as though he lacked control of them and felt considerable remorse afterwards, as if he didn't even know himself anymore. Gavin on the other hand, has never had an IgG panel done so we still needed the baseline on him.
Want the good or the bad news first?
The good news is that neither of them is sensitive to the many foods we use repeatedly in their diet (we still rotate them) and their gut permeability is good. Gavin's intestinal barrier assessment was negative at well below half of what it would take to be considered mildly effected and Grayson was just 8 points over the threshold!! So what we are doing IS most definitely working, yippee!!!
The bad news is that BOTH boys are effected by egg whites and yolks, grrrrr!! This is a hard one to avoid, but with Gavin moderately effected by them and Grayson in the high category for sensitivity, it's one food we have to remove indefinitely. Ironically, they are both moderately effected by kidney beans, not even a food we give them. For Gavin the only other foods that came up in the low range were kale and oranges. Grayson had just about every food in the dairy category plus gluten and yogurt in the moderate range. His low foods were baker's yeast, chicken (just barely over the threshold), soy, peanut, tofu, pineapple (this was high in his previous test), tuna (odd, he's never even had it), kale, pork, wheat, oranges and shrimp. This is MUCH better than the 23 foods that came up in his last IgG panel! I also wonder about the genetic factors involved, because both boys had almost identical reactions to foods that weren't even considered positive. The test shows a bar for each food that was tested and even though a reaction may not be high enough to warrant fitting into the low category, it may still show a slight reaction. Both boys reacted to a lot of the same things, for example cinnamon and green peas. It is certainly interesting looking at these tests side by side. Very telling of the big picture in our genes.
One thing that is clear for sure is that everything we are doing in the face of prevention with Gavin is working. He only reacted to 4 foods and none were high! This is considered in the very low range of normal. It's wonderful news and had us floating on cloud nine!!
But isn't camel milk still milk?
Yes, camel milk is milk, BUT it's very different from cow's milk! It has medicinal properties that have been healing people at record speeds, people with diabetes, allergies, cancer and autism. Studies are confirming these findings at rapid rates. There is still about 4-5% lactose in camel milk, but the lactose is even different and much easier to digest than cow's milk lactose. The proteins of camel milk are the decisive components for preventing and curing food allergies because camel milk contain no beta-lactoglobulin and a different beta-casein – the two components in cow milk that are responsible for allergies. Camel milk contains a number of immunoglobulins that are compatible with human ones. Camel milk is also rich in vitamin C (three times as much as cow's), calcium and iron (TEN times as much as cow's milk!). How do you like them apples? The healing properties are numerous, from the amino acid profile to the enzymes and minerals!
We found a farmer about an hour and fifteen minutes away and my husband just happened to have an opportunity to be down there yesterday so he went by and grabbed some frozen bottles for us and a friend. I really expected the kids to fight it since we don't do milk at all, but they took to it immediately, even Gavin who has never enjoyed a dairy product in his life even when I tried! They both sucked down the first cups I offered them of the fresh raw milk and promptly asked for more....and more. We went through about 14 ounces in one sitting with both boys! Then this morning, they both had cups of milk with breakfast and again at dinner, they will have more. I'm not really even sure what I am looking for or what I expect out of this, but it seems to be doing a lot of good for those with similar health problems so I had to give it a try. So onward with our newest adventure.
Read more about camel milk and autism here from a clinical Toxicologist!
This is a link to a study confirming that camel milk can heal liver disease!
And below are the kids with their first camel milk mustaches!!
The hot topics for today are mold repairs, a 504 plan for Grayson at school, IgG food panels for both boys and camel milk!
MOLD
So I will start with the oldest news, the mold. We are still eyeball deep in trying to figure out how bad the problem is. The location where the leak occurred is the most obnoxious place to reach, it's directly behind where the deck is attached to the house. You guessed it, the deck has had to be loosened (today in fact) to provide access to the wet wood. Yesterday the contractor working on providing the mold company with access to the mold, pulled up the tiles for the sub floor that was wet, and he removed ALL of the siding on the backside of the house under the deck, plus some from above the deck to be sure that they follow protocol which is to remove anything within a foot of the damage.
You can see from the pictures how they are trying to access the side of the house where the deck connects to it!The picture to the left shows the mudroom door above the deck and our window in the basement, below. To the right is the siding removed where the mold is, which is around and to the right of the window. The worst of it all is located just to the right of the mudroom door (picture below) so today he actually removed more siding and deck towards the slider (this picture is from yesterday). He also loosened the lag bolts that connect the deck to the house! 
The way the water was traveling was starting at the bottom right of the mudroom door where the threshold and trim met. It would pour down to the right and settled in the subfloor and under the threshold as well as overflowing down the basement wall. So RIGHT where the deck meets the house, to the right of the door is the bulk of the problem. Two panels of wood between studs in the basement have to be completely removed, so tomorrow, this view will look right clear into my basement!
We haven't even begun to address the rotted structural wood that was left in the front of the house by the previous mold remediation company! The mold contractor thinks that is where the stachybotrys is coming from too. We have a completely different contractor involved with that repair, since it involves the structure of the home. I am still waiting to hear from him on an estimate. He advised us that he will need to have a structural engineer sign off on the job. Not sure, if that was a warning on how that changes the price....and we can't clean the air or get the post work air testing done until this is ALL done. In the meantime, the boys have been sneezing, coughing and have runny noses. Of course, adding insult to injury, it's also allergy season. They've never reacted like this to allergy season though, so I am inclined to think they are reacting to the mold. We do have huge hospital grade hepa filters in the house running at all times so that must alleviate some of this nastiness.
Gimme the 504
Something interesting came about from Grayson's food infractions on the bus....a 504 plan stems from the Americans with Disabilities Act. A 504 plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for students who have: physical impairments; illnesses or injuries; communicable diseases; chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes; and learning problems. They make accommodations to offer them the opportunity to perform at the same level as their peers, and might include such things as wheelchair ramps, blood sugar monitoring, an extra set of textbooks, a peanut-free lunch environment, home instruction, or a tape recorder or keyboard for taking notes.
For Grayson, this specifically addresses the bus situation as well as handwriting. And let me just say briefly, the bus situation is a God-send. He's been driven to and from school by a mini van (like a personal chauffeur) with one other child, a friend's child actually! And how does handwriting come into play? Well, when Grayson was having the food infractions his handwriting went down the tubes, he was complaining of being too tired to write, he was uninterested and his writing was atrocious! His teacher and I spoke about this (keep in mind we didn't know about the food infractions at the time) and I mentioned how in the past he had he had been diagnosed as having delayed fine motor skills. I wasn't sure this was our problem, but we both thought it was possible and decided on having an evaluation done, to be sure. In the time between having the evaluation done and receiving the results, we discovered that he was eating gluten and casein among many other things he can't have, all resulting in personality changes as well as physical changes. Once we got his diet cleaned back up, his writing soared!! His mood improved, his interest skyrocketed and even his teacher said, "He can't be stopped!". His evaluation identified a few areas to target, besides his fine motor skills which are actually pretty on target with other kids his age (yeay!), it didn't used to be!! But his sensory issues came up, visual and auditory processing as well as muscular (tone) problems that can effect his ability to participate in school. So the 504 plan allows him to have 30 minutes of occupational therapy once a week, the "private" bus, and a sensory "diet" at school which is anything he needs to be able to function without distraction, this could mean therapeutic brushing, weighted blankets, joint compression, which all help with prioprioception.
You might wonder why I didn't stop the process when we noticed the food infraction was our cause when even the teacher noticed how he has made a considerable change since resolving the issue....this is because I feel like OT can offer him some other solutions to things that might still need addressing while we go through the process of healing him from the inside out. Having the additional coping mechanisms at his fingertips is a benefit many kids don't have and I want to take advantage of anything that can help him stay in the playing field. He's been doing exceptionally well since the "incidents" and even the teacher has commented on his remarkable composure, maturity and interest lately. This is a testament to the things we do....and why. I love the opportunity for those around me to see what value there is in dietary changes. It's a big problem in our Nation and it needs awareness. This is the best way to create awareness, real life situations. No one can deny the changes they have witnessed in this situation and every person involved has voiced that opinion. During our meeting with the school and therapists, it was clear that they believe in the power of healing through foods. They supported my efforts and plan to continue to do so. I am so thankful for this school every single day!
Culprit foods
On that note, when he was clearly exposed to both gluten and dairy at minimum, we decided to take advantage of the timing and order an IgG food panel update to see, if he was/is still sensitive to these foods. I have also wondered, if there were any other foods that could be causing some inconsistencies in his moods. They have been bearable and nowhere near the way things were in the past, but it still appeared as though he lacked control of them and felt considerable remorse afterwards, as if he didn't even know himself anymore. Gavin on the other hand, has never had an IgG panel done so we still needed the baseline on him.
Want the good or the bad news first?
The good news is that neither of them is sensitive to the many foods we use repeatedly in their diet (we still rotate them) and their gut permeability is good. Gavin's intestinal barrier assessment was negative at well below half of what it would take to be considered mildly effected and Grayson was just 8 points over the threshold!! So what we are doing IS most definitely working, yippee!!!
The bad news is that BOTH boys are effected by egg whites and yolks, grrrrr!! This is a hard one to avoid, but with Gavin moderately effected by them and Grayson in the high category for sensitivity, it's one food we have to remove indefinitely. Ironically, they are both moderately effected by kidney beans, not even a food we give them. For Gavin the only other foods that came up in the low range were kale and oranges. Grayson had just about every food in the dairy category plus gluten and yogurt in the moderate range. His low foods were baker's yeast, chicken (just barely over the threshold), soy, peanut, tofu, pineapple (this was high in his previous test), tuna (odd, he's never even had it), kale, pork, wheat, oranges and shrimp. This is MUCH better than the 23 foods that came up in his last IgG panel! I also wonder about the genetic factors involved, because both boys had almost identical reactions to foods that weren't even considered positive. The test shows a bar for each food that was tested and even though a reaction may not be high enough to warrant fitting into the low category, it may still show a slight reaction. Both boys reacted to a lot of the same things, for example cinnamon and green peas. It is certainly interesting looking at these tests side by side. Very telling of the big picture in our genes.
One thing that is clear for sure is that everything we are doing in the face of prevention with Gavin is working. He only reacted to 4 foods and none were high! This is considered in the very low range of normal. It's wonderful news and had us floating on cloud nine!!
But isn't camel milk still milk?
Yes, camel milk is milk, BUT it's very different from cow's milk! It has medicinal properties that have been healing people at record speeds, people with diabetes, allergies, cancer and autism. Studies are confirming these findings at rapid rates. There is still about 4-5% lactose in camel milk, but the lactose is even different and much easier to digest than cow's milk lactose. The proteins of camel milk are the decisive components for preventing and curing food allergies because camel milk contain no beta-lactoglobulin and a different beta-casein – the two components in cow milk that are responsible for allergies. Camel milk contains a number of immunoglobulins that are compatible with human ones. Camel milk is also rich in vitamin C (three times as much as cow's), calcium and iron (TEN times as much as cow's milk!). How do you like them apples? The healing properties are numerous, from the amino acid profile to the enzymes and minerals!
We found a farmer about an hour and fifteen minutes away and my husband just happened to have an opportunity to be down there yesterday so he went by and grabbed some frozen bottles for us and a friend. I really expected the kids to fight it since we don't do milk at all, but they took to it immediately, even Gavin who has never enjoyed a dairy product in his life even when I tried! They both sucked down the first cups I offered them of the fresh raw milk and promptly asked for more....and more. We went through about 14 ounces in one sitting with both boys! Then this morning, they both had cups of milk with breakfast and again at dinner, they will have more. I'm not really even sure what I am looking for or what I expect out of this, but it seems to be doing a lot of good for those with similar health problems so I had to give it a try. So onward with our newest adventure.
Read more about camel milk and autism here from a clinical Toxicologist!
This is a link to a study confirming that camel milk can heal liver disease!
And below are the kids with their first camel milk mustaches!!
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