The Marvellous Health of Unvaccinated Children

Françoise Berthoud, MD summarized her research by saying:
"As a concerned, compassionate and considerate paediatrician, I can only arrive at one conclusion. Unvaccinated children have by far the best chance of enjoying marvellous health. Any vaccination at all works to cripple the chances of this end."

As a paediatrician and homeopath with vaccination expertise, Dr. Berthoud founded a conference called "The Marvellous Health of Unvaccinated Children". The conference later yielded a book which examined the life choices of non-vaccinating families. Such free-thinking families do find themselves making much healthier choices than the mainstream including: home birth, breastfeeding, simple therapies, healthy whole foods, tranquil living, and trust in the body to heal itself.

Dr. Berthoud worked in Switzerland, where there is no legal compulsion to vaccinate, and through her experience as a paediatrician has collected an abundance of feedback. Examples follow:

“My child began coughing immediately after the vaccination.”

“He has had constant ear aches since he was vaccinated.”

“My 16 years old daughter is completely unvaccinated. She is almost never sick. If she does get sick, it’s two days at the most.”

“The neighbour's kids followed normal vaccination guidelines. They are constantly sick and on antibiotics.”

Following her own first-hand research in Switzerland, Dr. Berthoud continued her research to look at much of the rest of the world including: Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United States. Findings everywhere were more of the same, yielding results which again showed --- The Marvellous Health of Unvaccinated Children.

In the United States, Dr. Berthoud stated that the autism rate is an unbelievable 1 in 100 children. But, she found that the unvaccinated boast autism rates in shocking contrast to the national statistic! Dr. Berthoud noted Dan Olmsted's work, showing the essential absence of autism in the non-vaccinating Amish communities. Dr. Berthoud further noted Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD, MPH's Homefirst Medical Clinic in Chicago. Homefirst has no known cases of autism in their non-vaccinated patients!

We're Getting a New Kanga XT!

A couple weeks ago, I was overwhelmingly thrilled to make it onto the Bloo Kangeroo custom list!  It was such a nerve racking and stressful process, though. 

At exactly 10am ET on a Saturday morning, the owner of Bloo Kangeroo accepted the first 50 emails to her custom list.  Within a few seconds after 10am ET, the custom list was full.  Wow!  I think there were sadly lots of disappointed mamas.  As she was putting up the custom list online, I was feeling nervous.  But I was so excited to finally see my name, though it was toward the end.

What's the big deal about Bloo Kangeroo?  For me, Kanga XT.  Kanga XTs are carriers designed for ages 1 through 5 - and allow for baby/child to have his/her arms out.  That, in addition to the head rest which allows The Pure Baby (PB) to nap on my back, is why I love Bloo Kangeroo and the Kanga XT :)

Right now, we have a previously-loved Kanga XT that PB adores.  (See pictures above :)  He loves to be worn in our Kanga XT, and the rest of the time he is talking about it - saying "Kanga Kanga".  PB greatly enjoys having his arms out.  While napping, he likes to fold his arms on my shoulders and put his sweet head down onto his arms :)

Since we love our Kanga XT so much, we are going to get our very own custom Kanga XT!  So exciting :)  I've been searching for the perfect (VERY hard to find) Marimekko Unikko fabric for our Kanga XT, and a very sweet babywearing mama has offered to sell me a beautiful piece - which of course I am buying :) 



Since a Bloo Kangeroo custom slot allows for the purchase of *two* custom carriers, I am thinking of additionally buying a Kanga J for our next little one.  Kanga Js are designed for ages newborn until 12-14 months.  I'm still up in the air about whether I should get a Kanga J or an Olives and Applesauce 16 inch carrier.  (I'm on the Olives and Applesauce custom list too...)  I've never tried either and probably won't, unless I'm lucky enough to find a babywearing group where I can try them out before buying.  Who knows, maybe I should just buy both :) 

Playtime for The Pure Baby

Reading a book

Riding on Thomas the Tank Engine

Playing Fireman

Singing with The Wiggles!

Playing Legos

Riding a Zebra

Reading in the Pooh Chair

Yummy Summer Ice Cream!

After playing outside on a hot almost-summer day, The Pure Baby's (PB's) big brothers enjoyed a ice cream treat :)  In addition to being on The Feingold Diet, PB's oldest brother (on left) is also casein-free.

Basically, being casein-free (CF) means that he does not consume any milk/dairy-related products.  For children on the autism spectrum, casein can cause gastrointestinal issues.  Thus, keeping casein out of the diet prevents gastrointestinal conditions such as constipation and diarrhea.

Happily, PB's oldest brother can still enjoy a summer ice cream-like snack called Rice Dream :)  Rice Dream is casein-free and comes in a few different flavor choices.  Additionally, we make it extra special with Ah!Laska organic chocolate syrup!

Barbecued Ribs - Feingold-Style

My husband grilled some yummy ribs for our family, using a Feingold Diet-acceptable recipe :) Our messy rib-eating child (above) clearly loved his delicious rib dinner!

  

A lot of parents seem to be afraid to try The Feingold Diet, fearing that it will be too difficult and will be meanly depriving children of their favorite foods. Through our seven years on The Feingold Diet, we have found that to be untrue. Actually,we have discovered that there is usually a healthy, Feingold-acceptable substitute for most anything. It might require a little extra cooking, but the rewards of having a happy & healthy child far outweigh the additional effort. Our barbecue sauce recipe follows:

Honey-Mustard BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup prepared horseradish

Preparation:

In a small skillet or saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Mix all ingredients and simmer 5 minutes. When meat is almost fully cooked, brush sauce onto meat.

(Makes 3/4 cup sauce).

 

Homeschooling: Happy yet Hesitant

We're homeschooling next school year!  Both of our older boys will be homeschoolers.  I truly cannot believe I'm saying that.  It is both hard to comprehend and SCARY, yet there is great potential for happiness.

Our second son will be an excellent homeschooler - beyond excellent actually.  He is super smart and super focused.  100% on everything, with minimal effort.  He even LOVES to learn :) 

Homeschooling our first son sadly does bring worries, though.  I can foresee the complaining.  Too hard.  Too much work.  Crying.  Whining.  Tantrums.  Non-stop begging for TV.

Our first son - though making huge gains toward recovery - is on the autism spectrum.  Despite being super smart himself, everything is just a little more challenging for him.  Less focus.  Less diligence.  Less self-control.  He is truly the sweetest kid ever, but often it is hard to see the real him.

But despite the hesitations and potential for difficulties, we're going to give homeschooling our best effort :)  My friend, also the *homeschooling* mom of a child on the autism spectrum, is sweetly offering encouragement.  So, I'm trying to maintain a positive perspective and think about all of the great happinesses of homeschooling.

We'll have no more:  school driving, nights of homework, crazy mornings, teacher issues, or classmate social issues.

We'll have:  free afternoons for play and activities, more time together, and an easier schedule.