More Takeaways from AES on How We Eat

I am collecting all of my notes and pictures of things the doctors shared during my weekend at the Autism Education Summit. I was writing fast and furious, taking pictures of their slide show presentations so I didn't have to copy everything I wanted. I am going to be converting all of those notes and images into a file so I can print it off and put it in my notebook in a more legible form.

As I was doing that I came across two phrases that really spoke to me that weekend and they continue to do so. I wanted to share them with you.

From here

So many of us have heard through the years, "you are what you eat". This is not exactly true. In fact, it's so shallow it borders on untruth. Two different doctors spoke that weekend that said two different things that go very nicely together.

"You are what your eat eats that you can't excrete". - Dr. Amy Meyers

Think about what your food is eating. If you don't know what your food ate, you need to know. You might be truly disgusted once you learn. I live in a farming community. I don't have to guess what's being fed to these animals. I watch it happen. All I can say is, GROSS. I wouldn't want to eat what they are, ever.

The problem is, you aren't just eating what you put into your mouth, but also what they put into their mouths AND you may or may not be excreting the harmful things they ate. So, you say "so what if that cow was dosed up with so much antibiotic it was a walking pharmacy, that's not me, I am very, very cautious with using them in my life". Yeah, well, you just took a big mouthful with your grilled chicken last night, and you wonder why you have gut problems.

Next, "We are what we digest and absorb".

This goes so well with the other doctor's quote because if you aren't excreting it, you are usually absorbing it. That's not a good thing with many of the foods we eat these days. Oh, that chicken might be nice and fresh, but nice and fresh with what in it's system. We also are often not digesting our food no matter how high it's quality. If you aren't digesting it, you aren't using it, therefore you aren't getting the nutritional benefit of that food. We can fill our tummies with organic, whole, wonderfully nutrient rich foods, but if we aren't digesting it properly and then absorbing it, we have expensive poop. Now, while poop is very important (and a topic I will actually talk about later), I want cheap poop. I want poop that is void of all the wonderful goodness I put in my mouth. I want it to be only the barest of what my body couldn't use or if I put too much of a nutrient in my body and, with it's wonderful processing abilities, it just didn't need that much. We need to know if our body is digesting and using it's food.

If you aren't sure (and just because you don't have explosive diarrhea or have a little weight to lose doesn't mean you are doing a good job using your food), please talk to a functional medicine or biomedical doctor. They can do very simple, nearly painless tests to figure it out pretty quickly. You might need something as small as a digestive enzyme with your meals. But, you want to make sure you have one that's specific to your needs. If you aren't dealing with fats correctly, one that ignores fats and works on gluten is not going to be as much help.

So, change what you eat. Know your food and the source of your food (that's really not hard in this day and age of phones and internet). Then make sure your body is using that food well and properly.

Talk soon.

I'm Not All About Toxins

I know I post a lot about removing toxins, how we live a more natural life, and so on, but I do have hobbies. It's not all toxin all the time. That would make for a crazy life and a boring woman. This brings me to something that's new to me but I can see being a big favorite.

From here

I got into crochet a few years ago after my grandmother introduced me to it many, many years ago. I always wanted to like it but just never seemed to be able to pick it up, get my tension right, and, well, it just didn't happen. I finally decided that I was going to go from wanting to like it and being able to crochet to actually doing it. I bought some hooks, some yarn, and sat down with YouTube to search for how-to videos.

For those that haven't used YouTube in this way, you are missing out. You can learn just about anything on that site. Seriously, try it. I have searched for some pretty ridiculous things just to find it's limits. But I digress.

I taught myself how to crochet using YouTube videos and haven't looked back. Recently, when I visit stores and shops that sell yarn, a new hook has been catching my eye. It's called a Tunisian hook for Tunisian crochet. Looking at sample of the work online I decided immediately, without actually seeing how to do it, that it was far too hard and gave up that idea. However, a pin on Pinterest caught my eye and I decided to give it a try.

From here

All I have to say is, "what has Tunisian crochet been all my life". This is so, so simple. In fact, if I was teaching someone crochet, I would start with Tunisian crochet. It's much easier as there are no hdc, dc, FPdc, tr, and more. Nope. That's all a thing of the past with this technique.

From here

If you would like to check out Tunisian crochet, I suggest going to YouTube and typing in Tunisian crochet tutorial. Or, better yet, check out this blogger's how-to page. It's simple, has great pictures and clearly written instructions. This is where I learned the basics. I will be honest, I didn't buy a Tunisian hook until after I learned. I didn't want to waste the money if it was going to be hard. I worked samples on a typical hook until I learned how to do it.

Tunisian Crochet Tutorial @ Crocheting the Day Away

I won't be giving up typical crochet. I am just adding this to my repertoire. It's fun, easy, gives you a semi-knit look, and the piece comes out soft yet sturdy. There's a reason it's referred to as the afghan stitch.

From here

Talk soon.

Reducing Toxins in Your Home - Kitchen

Reducing toxins in your home doesn't have to be hard or expensive. When we started this journey we didn't do it all at once. Very few people could afford that process. We took it one step at a time and are taking more steps each week. This week I purchased two new pans and a set of tongs. It was a big spending week with regards to reducing toxins as I spent about $50.

Look around your kitchen and find just one thing to replace. I know a simple and very inexpensive way to reduce toxins is your colander. Most of us have a plastic colander like this:

From here

How about replacing it with a stainless steel colander or strainer? You can find them in the internet at stores such as Amazon.com and green home type websites. You can find them in traditional stores, even big box stores if you check labels. 

From here

Make sure, when you purchase your colander, that you aren't adding in other harmful toxins via metals. Read the labels to determine if they are pure or mixed with another cheaper metal like aluminum. If the label isn't clear, call the company or look online. I have stood in a store many times with a product in my hand, on my phone calling a company to find out what's in a food product or how an item is made. 

From here

From here

Another option is to buy a mesh strainer. These come in a lot of styles. They range from the traditional handle style we used to use for loose tea leaves to those that fit in a sink, to bowl shapes. Again, read the labels and do your research. 

If you look around, do your research, and buy smart, you can reduce toxins this way for less than $20. Now, that's a steal. 

Talk soon

Fall Candy That's Less Junky

OK, is junky even a word? If it wasn't before, I officially declare it is now.

From here

Who doesn't remember candy corn from their childhood? It was like a right of passage for children. I remember eating them color by color. They were bite sized but I made it much more of a chore. I ate the yellow, then bit the orange, then the tiny white. Yep, that's how I roll.

But, with our kids, they are a huge no-no. There is no way our younger son could even lick one without repercussions. Candy is pretty much impossible to find that fits into our variety of food intolerances and allergies. So, what's a Mom to do?

A Mom is to get creative and find a recipe for some favorite candies out there. And, now I have one for candy corn. Yep, CANDY CORN. And, yes, it's colored.

Five Little Homesteaders has a recipe for candy corn and even shares where to buy safer food colorings.

But, if you don't want to use a store bought pre-made coloring, you could use the suggestions Bioray has for the needed colors.

"Some ideas: Use saffron or turmeric powder OR juice some yellow bell peppers (yellow) Use carrot juice (orange)"

So have a bit more fun this fall and try some new candy recipes. Just make sure you aren't replacing junk with more junk. Buy real foods, use organic if possible, read labels (read labels, read labels, read labels) and, even with the homemade variety, don't go overboard on servings. 

Talk soon.

How I Got Started on This Path - Part 5 (The Final Steps of the Journey)

From here

This is a multi part series. If you would like to start from the beginning, follow these links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

When we first got our older son's diagnosis of Autism I became a researching fool. I was on the internet, reading books, going over journal publications, and more. I was told PPCD and that was it and knew there HAD to be something else I could do to help our son. I came across parent after parent speaking about something called a DAN doctor and biomedical approaches to helping our kids feel better. I told my husband about it and, while he wasn't sure this was a legit thing, he suggested we go ahead and at least check it out.

I made an appointment with our first DAN doctor and showed up. I was so unprepared. I am used to 10 minutes with a doctor, go home with a pill, see you later. Yeah ... no. I arrived to see a sensory waiting room, a huge fish tank, and an appointment that lasted for 1 1/2 hours. I didn't wait for 1 1/2 hours. The doctor and I talked and went over plans for that period of time. He wanted to do a bunch of labs, not just throw pills at us. What he said made sense. The only thing he sent us away with was MB12 injections. He wrote us a script saying that we needed to wait for all the labs to come back, but our son's symptoms were screaming a B12 issue, so he wanted to get him started on those immediately.

A week later our prescription arrived (it had to be compounded). I sat with my son a long time trying to talk myself into giving him these shots. It wasn't that I doubted the need. It was my own personal freak out about the needles. I bribed him with a treat and we did our first shot. He wasn't too happy but it wasn't horrible, especially once he figured out he got the treat the second it was over. We kept our new treatment to ourselves because I was afraid I would see something out of desire to heal my son and I wanted all those unbiased eyes of friends and family to be my testing ground.

1 1/2 weeks later my being sold on the more natural way of doing things happened. My non-verbal son, my son who went from speech to baby babbling in a day's time, spoke. I will never, ever forget that day. I was sitting in a chair on one side of the room and my son was standing next to the sofa on the other side of the room. It was just a quiet afternoon when he stopped his little playing and said to me, "can we take a picture of that". It was like the world stood still. I sat there, for what seemed like forever, trying to comprehend what just happened. I said, "what did you say?" He looked at me like I had the comprehension problem and said, very slowly like you might speak to someone that didn't understand your native tongue, "can we take a picture of that". I about hit the floor. I wanted to scream from the rooftop. Instead I called my husband and told him what happened. Honestly, I think he thought I had been drinking and hallucinating. But, he got home that night and couldn't deny what was happening in front of his own eyes.

As we got him around friends and family I wondered if they would notice.

They noticed. Oh, they noticed in a big way. I kept hearing, "what happened", "what did you guys do", "how in the world...". They noticed. My Mom was sold on MB12 and joked we should give that everyday. This was huge for him and it was what his body needed. Our DAN was shocked when we returned for lab results. He had a non-verbal patient who was now verbal in a matter of less than 2 weeks. But he wasn't totally undone because this was his job and he sees healing in kids weekly.

From that point on we were sold. Supplements became a part of our lives. Diet change became the norm. Research into toxins, environmental issues, things we use in our home, and more became typical weekend activities. We discovered our dishes were a bad idea for our sons. They had the same toxins in them that we were trying hard to get rid of in their bodies, they went. Cookware that we had used for a long time was tossed because it was not safe for our kids, or ourselves. Foods that we never would have dreamed harmful were no longer on the shopping list because our kids had clear reactions that we didn't realize were reactions. (Ever heard of a child screaming for hours after eating an apple? Yeah, I have watched it with my own eyes.) The list goes on.

Is our home 100% toxin free? No. That's impossible. We live in a world with toxins everywhere. I just discovered that the very air we breath in our county has one of the substances that our younger son is intolerant of in it. Can't get rid of air. So, we help clean the air in our home. We make their world as safe as possible so when the attacks come, their bodies are stronger and not over burdened in order to fight it off. We have changed things as simple as shampoos, soaps, cleaners. We have changed OTC pain meds, snacks, and even consumables that I use in the kitchen. We are a work in progress. We refuse to stop our kids from having a fun time as children. So we don't freak as much about toys and outside items. But we do make them safer as we can. As I posted a few weeks ago, we removed some of the toxins from our son's tube feeding system once we discovered all that was in the bags his formula was held in each feeding time. These are simple changes that, while not making much of an impact on how we live our lives, make a huge impact on how their bodies function.

Look, I don't know if we can cure what ails our sons. They have a lot of health issues. But, would you rather have a sick child with a healthier body or a sick child with a sick body? That's all this comes down to for us. If they are going to have issues in this world, let's make them as healthy as we can in order to be able to be strong and fight against what is going on with them. We arm them spiritually to put on the full armor of God. We arm them with education so they can make sound choices and have successful lives in whatever God calls them to as adults. We are arming their bodies so they can be as healthy as possible. It's really that simple.

Talk soon.

Autism Resource - TACA

I went to my very first TACA meeting last night. What is TACA? It stands for Talk About Curing Autism.

From here

Now, before I get hate messages, let me get one thing very straight. If you have a child that has Autism or are someone living with Autism and want to live with it, don't want any change, and think you are fine, awesome. You go for it. That's your right and your choice.

I would ask you to respect our right and choice to see that our children are not healthy, have horrible gut issues, health issues, and more and need a cure for, at minimum, those items related to Autism. So, yes, I am seeking a cure. As I tell our son, I only want to get rid of the harmful and bad effects of Autism, not the way he thinks or feels.

So, after my weekend of learning there was a coffee and chat time to go over our take away thoughts from the conference. I got to meet a bunch of Moms who have kids on the spectrum. We are all on very different parts of our journey in this puzzle of hope. But we share a common bond, and that is love for our kids and a desire for them to be healthier. I learned a few things that I didn't know before, laughed and talked a lot, checked out a great book that I can't wait to dive into, and was hooked up with a lot of resources.

I will be attending regularly.

If you want to see if there is a meeting in your area, check out their website. Meetings are free, support is awesome, resources abound.

Go to TACA or click on the graphic below

From here

Talk soon!

How I Got Started on This Path - Part 4

From here

This is a continuation of our story being told in multiple parts. To start at the beginning, or to catch up on a part you missed, check out these links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

When we got the testing back we learned something very new. We learned that Autism is not just not looking at us, not speaking properly, and stimming. It's so much more, so much of a whole body experience for these kids. In short, our kids were sick inside. Gut issues were horrendous, yeast was flaring, immune systems were not doing their jobs, the list goes on.

So, we piddled around with biomedical approaches, never being truly serious about it. And, we had sick kids. Oh, the world saw Autism and never cared that we weren't giving supplements or such, but we knew the truth and were just too tired, to worn, to frazzled to keep up with the stringent protocols.

Then our older son started to take a turn for the worse. Let me stop here and ask you a question. Did you know that if a child has Autism he or she can have a whole host of issues that have absolutely nothing to do with Autism but affect him just as much? Yeah, it's logical to us but there are many, many doctors who have no clue. They see Autism and then try to make every issue your child has fit within that world. It's like trying to fit a broken leg under the umbrella of a child's diagnosis of brain cancer. A child with cancer can simply break their leg and need completely different and totally unrelated treatment for that leg. Doctors need to remember that.

Our son used to love going to our local park with my husband. There was a nice lake there with a hiking trail around it. About half way around the lake, if you were willing to climb down a bit and go off trail, you would find a hidden little cave. They spent so much time in that little cave playing and talking. The entire trip, if you never went off trail, was a bit over a mile long. But, with what my husband and son did, it was probably closer to 1 1/2 - 2 miles total. They went off trail a lot to explore whatever suited their fancy. My son would come home with energy to spare.

Slowly we noticed he wasn't handling these walks as well. His energy levels seemed to be decreasing in big ways. He also, during this time, started to slow down on his eating. He was limiting his variety of food and restricting his intake. It seemed as if he honestly didn't even feel hungry most of the time.

It took us years to figure any of this out. We still don't have a full understanding of what is going on with him. But, we are getting closer each day. After our son had pretty much fallen off the growth chart, our GI said it was time for a feeding tube. He just wasn't able to sustain himself with his oral intake. So, a year ago today (wow, it just hit me, today is our tubiversary), we had a G-Tube placed for our son. It was the scariest thing I ever did for him, and it's been the best choice we ever made for him in traditional medical care.

He also started to have what we call "crashes". He just has no energy at all. His whole demeanor changes. It can take something as big as walking a few aisles in a store to cause one or something as small as having a tube feed. Everything makes him tired. Naps or a good night sleep don't take it away. Because of this we are the owners of two new things.

1) We now possess a handicap placard for our cars. That was shocking to see come in the mail after our doctor sent off the forms to the state. I wasn't really prepared for that and what it implied about our family.

2) We now own a wheelchair. Our son loves it. I think he likes that there is no more pressure for his body to do more than it can anymore. He does what he can, the chair does the rest. I hated our visit with the DME and therapist to order it after our doctor prescribed it, but the second we saw it and saw our son's face as he sat in it, I see it for the blessing that it is.

I am going to stop here. I will finish up with part 5 and end our story telling you how we tied all this into moving to a more toxin free life. You needed to know our history to understand our present.

Talk soon.