Low milk supply

Most women can provide enough milk for their baby, so the concept of “low milk supply” is often a misunderstanding of what is really going on. When women come into my office complaining of low milk supply, they usually are not managing their breastfeeding properly, latching incorrectly or have a baby with a suckling disorder. I would venture to say, that, if the breastfeeding is being managed correctly (meaning, not putting the baby on a schedule), and the woman still feels she does not have enough milk; it is usually the baby is that is having an issue and not the mother. Women who have babies with suckling disorders are often confused—feeling that they are doing everything correctly. They ‘feel’ that the baby is latched on properly, and they ‘believe’ the baby is taking in milk, but they are shocked when the baby is weighed before and after nursing, and the digital scale which can tell how much the baby is taking in, barely moves. If the problem is with the baby’s latch or the baby’s suckle, most proficient lactation consultants can teach the woman how to fix these problems.

In rare cases, when it truly is the mother with the problem, it would tend to be from one of the following conditions:

  • Insufficient glandular tissue
  • Retained placenta
  • C-section
  • Thyroid problems
  • Hashimoto’s thyroid inflammation
  • Sheehan syndrome

 

I will now briefly discuss the above conditions to clarify what they mean.

Insufficient glandular tissue is a condition in which the straw-like tubes in the breast that carry the milk, called ducts, never grew properly during adolescence. This means that the breasts were never properly formed, and even with the use of herbs and supplements, excess pumping, or in the event that it were possible to place the baby on the breast 24/7, this woman will never produce more milk—this is a true breast condition. And here are a few very clear signs to help identify insufficient glandular tissue: the breasts are asymmetrical—although all women have slightly different shaped breasts, here one breast is noticeably larger or different than the other in shape and size; the breasts are situated so widely apart on the body, that the woman does not have a cleavage; and occasionally the breasts can be triangular in shape and pointing downward, or tubular in shape; the breasts do not grow or change shape very much during pregnancy, as would be expected, and they do not appear to fill up with milk on the third day post-partum. With this condition the quality of the breastmilk is fine; it is the quantity that is missing. In general, my clients with this breast condition, who choose to breastfeed their babies, will supplement with formula till the child is past one year old, but each case will be different and will require supervision by a professional to make sure that the infant is gaining enough weight.

Retained placenta– Retained placenta means that part of the placenta or fragments of the membranes are left behind in the uterus after delivery. If small fragments of placenta or membrane are retained, the body’s signal to trigger the release of hormones necessary to produce milk will not be properly activated often causing low milk supply. A woman with this condition will usually begin to suddenly bleed very profusely after her bleeding has slowed down. Woman usually get very frightened by this sudden gush of blood, but the good news is that after the body has removed the left over fragments the woman usually will feel a her breasts filling up with milk. Sometimes women with this condition will require a DNC to clean out her uterus.

C-sections– Often a woman after a C-section will not have her milk ‘come-in’ till day five unlike woman with vaginal births who’s milk comes in by day three. I wish women would be informed of this in the hospital after they birth by cesarean section so they can feed their babies in alternative ways (i.e. finger-feeding, spoon or cup feeding) as they are waiting for their milk to ‘come-in.’ Another problem for mom’s who had a C-section is that often these babies spend more time in the nursery and are given a lot of bottles and then suffer from nipple confusion and are not willing or even able to take the breast properly even after the milk has come in.

Low thyroid-Many woman with low thyroid levels will struggle with milk production. Testing for low thyroid levels are controversial because sometimes women’s blood work appears to be within normal range, but when they begin to be treated for hypothyroidism they feel an increase in their breastmilk production. Women who are already taking synthroid during their pregnancies must get their levels checked right after birth because their need for more of less of the medication may change post-partum. If your blood levels appear fine and your baby has been checked by a lactation consultant and the baby is nursing properly and you are still not producing enough milk another way to check your thyroid function is with a basel thermometer. This method of testing is done by taking your Take your temperature every morning when you first wake up, preferably before you move. If your temperature is lower than 98.0 chances are your milk may increase with some thyroid boosting supplements.

Hashimato disease– is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. With this condition the immune system makes antibodies that damage thyroid cells and interfere with their ability to make thyroid hormone. Often for postpartum woman this is a temporary state. Hashimoto’s disease can be hard to diagnose during pregnancy because a normal pregnancy and hashimato often have the same symptoms: weight gain, and fatigue. If you test positive for this condition medications such as levothyroxine work well and often can help the woman begin to produce breastmilk. For more information on this condition you can contact womenshealth.gov.

Sheehan syndrome- happens after the woman has lost a lot of blood after the birth of her baby. Blood loss that exceeds the normal range for vaginal birth (up to 500 cc) or cesarean birth (up to 1,000 cc) can place a mother at risk for low milk supply. This condition is rare, but often overlooked by the medical profession. This amount of blood lose can stop her pituitary gland to stop functioning normally. It’s the pituitary job to secrete the milk making hormones. Often this is only a temporary condition and with this condition it is important to set up a pumping schedule, eating a lot of healthy foods and vegetables and working with a professional. Other signs of Sheehan syndrome besides low milk supply often are: low blood pressure, hypoglycemia, weakness and dizziness, hoarse voice, joint pain, abdominal pain and Constipation.

Introducing solids foods to babies

Babies don’t need to eat solids until they have from four to eight teeth, or until they can sit up and support themselves in a high chair, and manage to get more food into their mouths, by themselves, than they do in their hair or on the floor. The precise age for this varies greatly from family to family. But don’t confuse the need for oral discovery, with hunger. Babies become very orally excited from between five to nine months. Perhaps as an extension of an innate and basic survival mechanism, all humans in their first year of life discover the world with their mouths. Infants, when they begin to wiggle, creep and crawl along, sweeping the floors clean with their bodies, begin to taste EVERYTHING. For a baby, a dust bunny is a delight, a piece of newspaper a delicacy, and sticky leftover food droppings a hidden treasure. It is not that they need to fill their tummies with solids or liquids, rather it’s really more about the oral sensation. If a baby is breastfeeding well, not getting sick and is happy, then think of food as a science project. Let your infant explore the world of taste and texture by letting her smell, play and mush all kinds of foods. Give her different colors and textures to play with. Rather than push quantities of food into their little tummies that most babies don’t require, allow their inquisitive scientific minds develop. Breast milk changes as the child grows, keeping up with the nutritional needs of the baby, so why the rush into solid foods? Your breast milk is as nutritious for a ten month old as it was for a two week old.

  • Don’t rush the introduction of solid foods. Babies don’t need to eat solids until they have from four to eight teeth, or until they can sit up and support themselves in a high chair, and manage to get more food into their mouths, by themselves, than they do in their hair or on the floor
  • Don’t confuse the need for oral discovery, with hunger. Babies become very orally excited from between five to nine months.
  • Do let your infant explore the world of taste and texture by letting her smell, play and mush all kinds of foods. Give her different colors and textures to play with. Rather than push quantities of food into their little tummies that most babies don’t require, allow their inquisitive scientific minds develop.

Do be aware that breast milk changes as the child grows, keeping up with the nutritional needs of the baby, so why the rush into solid foods? Your breast milk is as nutritious for a ten month old as it was for a two week old.

Breastmilk & formula do babies need the same amounts?

Here is a question my clients often ask:

Do nursing babies need to drink the same amount at each feed just like formula babies do?

When a baby is nursing, rather than being bottle-fed, the baby will take in a different amount of liquid at each feed. In a twenty-four hour period, a baby needs to take in a certain amount of total ounces and a certain amount of total calories in order to thrive, but a nursing baby will take in a different amount of milk at each individual feed, depending on the infant’s hunger and mood. When an infant is bottle fed, the caregiver will pour the exact amount of formula into a bottle at each feed and expect the baby to drink the entire poured amount. Even if the child turns his head a way, the caregiver will do her best to try to “force” the child to eat the amount in the bottle. With nursing, the mother’s body does not display “ounces”; so the typical, healthy baby is allowed to take in whatever amount he wants and needs. (Babies that are premature or have a suckling disorder will need to have a different protocol to insure that they receive enough milk at each feed.)

So for example, a six week old baby might take in 2.4 ounces at one feed, 3 ounces at the next feed and only 1.8 ounces during the following feed.

So, how do we know if this baby has taken in that ‘certain amount of total ounces and a certain amount of total calories in order to thrive’, that was mentioned earlier? As a general rule, the thing to remember is, “what goes in must come out”; therefore, looking for a content baby and by counting the amount of soiled diapers her baby is producing, a nursing mother can gage how their nursing is going. As long as the baby is producing six to eight wet and dirty diapers in a twenty-four hour period, the nursing mother can stop worrying about “how much the baby is getting” and, with confidence, focus instead on her baby’s happiness (be sure to occasionally monitor periodic growth on a competent digital scale).

Sara Chana Silverstein is a mother of 7 and lives and works in Brooklyn. She is a board certified lactation consultant, classical homeopath, and herbalist. She has helped over 5,000 babies breastfeed and treats chronic ear infections, and other childhood ailments.

Natural bug repellents and natural cures for bug bites

Spring and summer are wonderful times of the year, so be happy.  You waited months for the change of season, and the nicer weather that it would bring. But that joy can be ruined very quickly if you or your child is smitten with painful and swollen bug bites!  Ouch! Bug bites can ruin a fun day at the park, or make us grumpy if we are up all night scratching and itching!  Although we are bitten mostly when we are outdoors, those pesky critters somehow make their way into our bedrooms as well.  And yet hope in enjoying the finer months of the year is not lost. There are natural bug repellents you can employ, and a wonderful green powder you can use if, unfortunately, you have already been bitten.

 

Essential oils are great bug repellents when used properly, and my favorite defense against that terrible itch from a bug bite is simple French green clay. The oils are safe for use with children.

There are many essential oils that can be used within the space of children’s bedrooms or sprayed directly on your child’s bedding or clothing, and which can also be used outside where the kids are playing.  My favorite bug repellent essential oils are: cedar wood, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, catnip and lavender.  You can combine all of these oils into one jar to make a lovely blend; or you can begin with choosing only two to three oils to begin your blend.  You will also need to purchase a diffusor and a spray bottle.  The diffusor can be used in your child’s bedroom or outside by where your kids are playing; the spray bottles are used for spraying directly on your child or their clothing.  When using a diffusor, make sure it is placed on a high shelf or in an area that your child cannot reach.  Place a candle under the diffuser, fill the top with hot water and put between 10-15 drops of the oil into the hot water.  The room or area will be filled with bug-repellent smells—pleasant to us humans but repulsive to those nasty insects.  To use the spray bottle: fill the bottle with 4oz. (half of a cup) of water and add to it 15-20 drops of the essential oil mixture, shake well and spray on child’s pillowcase, sheets or clothing, or into the child’s hair (avoiding the eyes).  In fact, it is a good idea to get into the habit of spraying your children’s clothing during the heavy mosquito outbreaks.

 

 

My favorite cure for bug bites is pure French green clay.  Often sold as a facial mask, you can purchase green clay at your local health food store or order it on-line.  The best way to use pure green clay for bug bites is in the form of a paste; which reduces the inflammation of bug bites and also helps pull the toxic venom out of the skin. To make the paste, put some of the clay into a cup and add a drop or two of water, but don’t add too much water because you want to make a paste that will stick to, and cover over, the bitten area.  When you have made the paste into the correct consistency, spread it over the bug bite.  When the paste has dried, if the child is still complaining, you can add another layer of the paste over the dried layer.  You can continue painting the green clay over the bites, layer upon layer, until your child is no longer bothered by the bite.  The green clay will begin to crumble off but don’t worry; it doesn’t stain clothing or bed sheets. Your child may, temporarily, look a little green but this is the best cure I have found for those itchy, painful bug-bites!

Relax and enjoy the summer.  Just keep a little bottle of the ‘natural-bug-spray’ with you at all times, when the mosquitos are out, and feel confident that the little buggies won’t bit your precious ones!

Natural first aid tools for the summer

Summer is a great time for discovery and adventure.  The time spent outdoors is what kids look forward to all winter long.  And there is nothing worse than getting a bug bite, a cut or scrape, or a bump or bruise to ruin the fun.  But have no fear, we moms can be prepared!  We all know the importance of keeping extra tissues and a small bag of wipes in our purses, but here are three wonderful products that are very exceptional at curing the ouchies: Green Clay-French green clay is a wonderful multi-faceted product that is easy to use and extremely helpful.  You can purchase green clay at your local health food store—usually sold as a facial mask. Green clay can be transferred from the usual tub, into a small container you keep in your purse.  Best uses are for bug bites and kitchen burns.  Put a small amount of clay into a clean cup.  Add a drop or two of water and mix into a paste.  Make a layer over the bug bite with the green clay.  The green clay soothes inflamed skin and helps draw out the toxins deposited there by pesky bugs, like mosquitos.  If the bite is still itching after the clay has dried, apply another layer.  Green clay formed into a paste is also wonderful for minor kitchen burns or burns at a barbeque.  Applied shortly after the burn, green clay will help heal the skin and often prevents scarring. Yunnan Baiyao Powder– This miraculous Chinese powder is best used for scrapes, cuts and open wounds.  The powder is applied directly into the cut and will coagulate the blood very quickly.  It is also a natural antibiotic preventing infection.  This herbal mix comes in a cute little bottle that is easy to carry around in your purse and great to have on a hiking adventure.  If the cut is very deep, this powder will burn a little when applied, but the results are well worth it.   Although most health food stores do not carry this product, it can be ordered on-line. Homeopathic remedy Arnica Montana 30c– Arnica is used to help assist the body to heal itself when you get bumped, bruised, or fall.  Given after a fall or bruise, the remedy will help reduce inflammation and help heal the tissue.  Homeopathy comes in a very convenient vial that is small, compact and easy to administer.  The dosage is the same for children as it is for adults.  The typical dose is three pellets that are best dissolved under the tongue; however, if children take them on top of the tongue it is also good, but only if they are allowed to dissolve naturally in the mouth, as opposed to being chewed. I’m sorry if we cannot prevent the usual from occurring, but we can be prepared with natures little healers, and have fun this summer—being as adventurous as we choose to be.

Relief from sore throats

I am a classical homeopath having worked with hundreds of children with both typical sore throats and chronic strep throats.  There are many natural methods that can bring relief and cure for this problem.

  • Take a small spray bottle, fill with filtered water (2oz), add herbs in tincture form (the herb steeped in grain alcohol like: elder berry, cleavers, usnea or echineaca.  You can use these herbs in single form, or mix them all together. You can add 25-30 drops of the herb to the water.  The child can spray the mixture into their throats 1-4x a day.  The child will feel the soothing spray on their sore throat and the herbs will help kill the bacteria or virus that is present.
  • Sage honey is another wonderful idea.  The plant sage is specific for sore throats.  If you want the honey to be more medicinal you can add sage tincture to the honey.  Heat honey on stove chill and store in the fridge.  Kid’s over age 1 love the taste of honey and kids are more likely to comply if they help you make the honey.  Dosage is one tablespoon 2-3x a day.

The homeopathic remedy phytolocca 30c is specific for sore throats.  Homeopathy is easy to administer to children.  The medicine is given in small pellets that can be dissolved either under the tongue or on-top of the tongue.

Repelling bugs naturally in the summer months: smudging and essential oils

Smudging is a wonderful way to help keep bugs away from a barbeque or outside ‘evening activity.’ Smudging is a technique used my people all over the world. Smudging is burning dried herbs and letting the smoke build in the area you want to be in. A smudge stick is a combination of dried herbs that are wrapped together with string. You light the end of it and walk around and let the smoke permeate the area. Bugs and mosquitoes don’t like the smell and stay clear of the area. You can also smudge in your home if mosquitoes have gotten in your house.

Another wonderful tool is to diffuse essential oils in a diffuser in your house or outside. You can also buy a spray bottle and put a half cup of water in the spray bottle and add 30-40 drops of essential oil. You can spray this water mixture on the chairs you are sitting on or directly onto you or your child’s hair or clothing (avoid the eyes). Bugs and mosquitoes are also repelled by the smells of these oils.

Hormonal moodiness

Women at all stages of their lives get moody. Moodiness can be seen in young girls as they enter puberty, women in their 20’s, 30’s, and still in older woman as they reach perimenopause and menopause into their 40’s and 50’s and 60’s. Indeed, it appears that women at all stages of life struggle with their moods. Some women handle their moodiness better than others, but as any man who has ever lived with a woman will confirm, the woman he loves is often moody. Men can be moody also, but it just doesn’t seem to engulf them and take over their lives like it does for women. Although women often attribute their moodiness to their menstrual cycles, they can also blame their moods on pregnancy, their postpartum stage of life and all their life changes, and they should. The simple truth is that each of these changes brings with it a fluctuation in hormones, which does indeed affect their brains, and consequently the way they feel.

But why is it that woman tend to be moodier then men? Current research has shown that women on an average make less serotonin (the happy chemical in the brain) than men. Scientists at the University of Montreal found that men’s brains, on average, make 52 per cent more than women. The reason might be tied to the differences in male and female sex hormones. The way it works is like this: as a woman goes through her monthly cycles her estrogen levels raise and fall and low estrogen affects a woman’s moods because the brain needs estrogen to produce serotonin. Most people don’t know that estrogen exists in the brain, but hormones, estrogen and serotonin, work in tandem because serotonin needs estrogen for its metabolism. Therefore, as estrogen levels drop, so does serotonin. So women’s fluctuating hormones definitely affect the stability of their moods. Depending on how women react to the different hormonal patterns that exist, some women can be moody before their cycle, some after their cycle; while others feel imbalanced between their cycles. It sometimes seems that just living as a female can be enough of an excuse for moodiness. In the distant past, doctors used to describe women in their moody states as having ‘hysteria’, which is defined as,” unmanageable emotional excessesa.” Wikipedia discusses that the history of the notion of hysteria, “can be traced to ancient times; in ancient Greece it was described in the gynecological treatises of the Hippocratic corpus, which date from the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Plato’s dialogue Timaeus compares a woman’s uterus to a living creature that wanders throughout a woman’s body, “blocking passages, obstructing breathing, and causing disease. The concept of a pathological, wandering womb was later viewed as the source of the term hysteria, which stems from the Greek cognate of uterus, ὑστέρα (hystera).” The doctors of old were not aware of hormonal effects on the brain, so they blamed the uterus for women’s emotional upheavals.

So now that we know that monthly cycles and fluctuating hormones can directly affect our brains, what is a woman to do? Are there things a woman can do to help her better control her moods? Fortunately, the answer is yes. First, she can begin by charting her moods to help her anticipate and understand her unique mood-patterns. The next step is to tune into her intuitive-self, to avoid those ‘triggers’ that can off-set her moods. And, of course, she should know that exercising will always help her stabilize her temperament, and that there are also herbal allies she can include in her life.

One of my favorite ways for women to understand their personal cycle of moodiness is by charting it. To do this, keep a little calendar in your purse and two times a day chart what your mood is like. Most women, once they tune into how they are really feeling and when they get moody, will begin to see a pattern to their moods. Anticipating when moods could possibly be challenging, will give a woman the upper-hand in keeping her moods balanced; helping her to prevent inappropriate outbursts. Many a woman will complain that her day starts out great and the next thing she knows is that her mood has changed, and it has changed the tone of the rest of the day along with it. What a woman needs to begin to do is to notice the physical triggers that affect her already sensitive, hormonal balance. Is it that nasty co-worker’s comments that are triggering your bad mood, or is that daily call from your mother-in-law? Although we can’t avoid all the triggers, there are many we can avoid if we begin to notice them, chart them, and realize the affect that they are having on us. For instance, if you shop at a certain grocery store where the clerk always annoys you, shop somewhere else, or if the sandwich stand you frequent has a nasty worker, get your lunch somewhere else. Don’t let someone else’s offensive personality become a trigger that puts you in a bad mood.

Another tool we have within us is our intuitive-self. Your intuitive-self is that little voice that comes into your head and sends up the red-flags, warning you that a situation or person can have a negative effect on you. Most women are so busy trying to do the socially correct or nice thing that they often wipe out that intuitive feeling and just push through any disturbance. But when we just push-through things, it often leaves us feeling angry or frustrated, and that can disrupt the delicate balance of our hormones.

It is very important throughout the day to take a moment to take a few deep breaths and really ‘check-in’ on yourself, to see how you are feeling. Are you feeling frustrated or mad, are you feeling hurt or overwhelmed? Once you clarify what you are feeling, you have the ability to choose whether or not those feelings will overtake you, affecting your body. Dr. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist who teaches her patients about their power to control the energy they take in from other people and helps them to understand the energy they give off to other people, teaches us that, “The main source of happiness and well-being comes from the heart, that energy center or “chakra” located in the mid-chest that is the source of loving-kindness and compassion. When we begin to open this area, the sweetness of this energy flows forth in our bodies to lessen fatigue and buoy our mood. A technique I suggest for opening the heart is simple. Get in a quiet place. Take a few steady, deep breaths. If thoughts intrude keep focusing on your breath. Then picture an image that is loving and positive. It may be a child’s face, a beautiful flower, a waterfall. Hold that image for a few minutes and feel the positive energy of the heart open and flow through you.” This may seem like a silly idea if you are beginning to feel ‘hormonal’ or ‘moody’, but the idea of breathing and taking the moment to try and shift your energy, works wonders for many women. This exercise can actually stop the chemical reaction that begins to occur when your stress hormones begin to kick in. This is a wonderful tool that can help bring you back to your center, or personal place of control. Taking that moment to acknowledge your feelings can help prevent things from building up and not allow your mood to explode.

Is it really fair to let your moods affect other people? If you are tracking your moods and you begin to feel as if ‘that mood’ is soon approaching, try your best to temporarily separate yourself so that your personal energy doesn’t offend anyone. It is perfectly okay for you to feel moody, but it really isn’t fair to expose others to it.

There is another method of mood control you may want to explore and that is the world of botanicals. There are many herbs that can help us balance our hormones and brain chemistry, and generally help to relieve the stress that our bodies accumulate as a result of our moodiness.

  • Motherwort is my all-time favorite herb to help stabilize moodiness. This is an herb that can be felt within twenty minutes after taking it. It is an herb that can be used by women of all ages and stages of their lives. Motherwort is wonderful for taking that ‘edge off’ of your feelings and is helpful if you suddenly feel as if that ‘black-cloud’ is descending. It can be used prophylactically if you know you will be encountering a difficult time, or if you look at your calendar and know that your menstruation is approaching.
  • Chaste berry is a fabulous herb if your menstrual cycle is not regular, but changes from month to month. Often extreme moodiness happens when a woman is anticipating her menstruation and it is delayed. Often during that ‘waiting time’ a woman feels edgy and agitated. Chaste berry is not a fast acting herb and it usually takes about three months to help regulate a cycle, but chaste berry is worth the wait. Once a woman’s cycle is regulated she usually feels more control over her emotions.
  • Skullcap is for nervous tension with anxiety. Skullcap, like motherwort is an herb you will begin to feel working within twenty minutes of ingestion. It is best used before an intimidating experience, like a business meeting you have been anticipating for weeks, or right before it is time to put your children to bed. Skullcap can be taken over a long period of time or as needed in the moment.
  • Fresh milky oats is a wonderful herb if you have been through long-term stress. Oats can help with frazzled nerves. This herb is best taken three times a day over a long period of time. You will not feel the effect of oats right away, but be assured that the herb will be doing its job. Think of fresh milky oats as a Band-Aid for your central nervous system.
  • Mimosa bark is purported to bring ‘joy to a person’s heart’. It was an Italian custom to bring the one you loved a bouquet of mimosa flowers. So, in a similar vein, why not treat yourself the special present of mimosa bark if you are just feeling sad, moody and unloved. Mimosa bark can be used occasionally as needed.
  • Eleuthero is an herb called an adaptogen. Simply stated, adaptogens are a family of herbs that heal the whole body. Eleuthero is especially useful for type-A personalities who work too hard and become ‘burned-out.’ This herb will help balance your adrenal glands and will help bring physical tone back into damaged areas that stress has caused. Eleuthero is best taken three times a day for a long period of time to feel its effects.

A woman who suffers from moodiness should not forget the necessity of exercise and its powerful effect on our hormones and our brain chemistry. In a study led by Dr. Jeremy Sibold, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Movement Science at the University of Vermont, Burlington states, “Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to twelve hours.” This study looked at a twenty-four-hour window to see how long that ‘feel-good’ effect could last. They studied forty-eight healthy men (don’t forget men can get moody also) and women from approximately eighteen to twenty-five years of age and had them initially complete a mood survey. The participants were divided into two groups, an exercise group that rode a stationary bicycle for twenty minutes at moderate intensity, and a second group who were sedentary. The members from both groups repeated the mood survey one, two, four, eight, twelve and twenty-four hours later. The study found that the mood of the exercisers was better than that of the sedentary participants, both immediately after the workout and for up to twelve hours later! The results are obvious—exercise is an inexpensive tool that can help balance our moods.

We may have been created with a propensity toward moodiness, which might be difficult for many women to control, but at least we have tools that can help us find a balance and govern our moods, rather than just be a victim to our hormonal swings.

Cold & flu cures right in your kitchen

Look around us and we would all agree that in the winter people tend to suffer more from colds and the flu. But, does cold weather really make us more vulnerable to these illnesses? It is interesting to learn that if anything, during long stretches of cold temperature we are less likely to catch a cold. It is also interesting to note that the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, which killed at least 20 million people worldwide, reached its peak in the late spring and summer and died down in the United States in October!

A possible explanation for this is because the germs that cause these ailments die off in cold weather. It has been observed that people who “winter over” at Antarctic research stations seldom catch colds, and when they do, it is usually when they are visited by germ-laden visitors from warmer climes! Another explanation might just be that as the weather gets colder, people forget to drink the amount of water they require daily, and don’t think of creative ways to exercise in colder weather. Or, it may be that colds and flu are more common in the winter months because people tend to congregate inside, with the doors and windows shut tightly, allowing viruses to increase and spread in such close quarters. It could also be that our lives get more stressful during the long gray winter months; being either stuck inside our homes or venturing outside where we have to trudge through adverse weather conditions. And as a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported, that the more psychological stress people experienced, the more likely they were to get colds.

The reason why people appear to be bothered by colds and the flu during the winter time more than any other season can be for any or all of these reasons, but weather alone can’t make a person ill. However, that being said, the change of weather can challenge your body’s immune system. When your body is used to functioning in a certain temperature and then the season changes, your body is forced to re-adapt. If your immune system is not as strong as it needs to be, you will be more vulnerable to cold and flu.

The good news is that there are items right in your kitchen that can help super-charge your immune system, and in addition, help you to be prepared for the stresses and challenges that come with the winter months.

Medicinal Honey

Honey’s healing properties have been touted for generations. Modern science shows that honey contains antioxidants, acids, proteins and minerals that help heal and strengthen our bodies, and honey can also fight bacterial infections thanks to its antimicrobial properties. And notwithstanding the fact that most colds and flus are caused by viruses, people world-wide would claim that honey helps with colds, sore throats, and coughs. In partial support of this assertion “Studies have shown that honey is a potent treatment for nighttime cough. In one study of 130 children aged 2-17 with runny nose and cough were randomized to receive nightly doses of buckwheat honey, artificial honey-flavored cough medicine (dextromethorphan), or no treatment. On a parent-rated symptom scale, honey was found to be the most helpful in reducing nighttime cough and improving sleep in children with upper respiratory infections, and other studies have shown that honey helps diminish the intensity and duration of winter coughs”.

Now by adding herbs to ordinary honey, we can further boost the palliative properties that are already found in honey turning it into “medicinal honey” for the winter months. Honey naturally comes in a variety of flavors and each flavor has different medicinal properties due to the flowers the bees suckle from. Buckwheat honey seems to work best for coughs, sage honey for sore throats, and wild flower honey helps with a stuffy nose and allergies. Now to these natural healing properties of honey you can add herbs like onions or garlic, medicinal spices like sage or thyme, healing berries like elder berry, or healing plants like echincea, yerba santa, or usena. Any medicinal honey is easy to make and you can customize it to your personal physical challenges and taste.

For coughs try onion honey. Onion honey is suggested if you tend to be challenged with winter coughs. Place into a glass bowl a layer of sliced onions and pour honey onto them until they are covered with a layer of honey. Then cover the bowl with either a plate or plastic wrap and let it sit on the kitchen counter overnight. By morning the honey will begin to turn into syrup. You can leave this mixture right on the counter and take one tablespoon two times a day as a preventative or up to four times a day if you are already ill. If you will not use up your onion honey mixture within the week, it is best to strain out the onions and put the honey in a glass container to keep in the refrigerator.

For sinus infections try garlic honey. Garlic honey is recommended if you tend to get sinus infections. You can follow the same procedures as above, just using garlic instead of onions. If you suffer from both sinus and coughs you can mix both onions and garlic in the same bowl with honey.

For sore throats try sage honey. Adding the herb sage to your honey will help with sore throats. You can either sage in its dried form, fresh form or in a grain alcohol tincture (once the herb has been steeped, the alcohol loses its potency). The best way to use the dried or fresh herb is to lightly heat up the honey in a good quality sauce pan, made either of glass or stainless steel, and then pour in the sage. Since your goal is to dissolve the herb into the honey, and not to cook the honey, keep the cooking flame small. Continue to lightly heat the honey until either the dried or fresh herb has wilted, or in the case of the tincture, until it has dissolved into the honey. Let the honey mixture cool, and in the case of the herbs, strain them and put them into a glass jar to be stored in the refrigerator.

For kids colds try tasty honey medicinal mixes. Recommended only for children who are more than one year old, honey mixtures are a great way for children to take herbs. Making a medicinal honey is a fun activity for kids because they love assisting in its preparation and watching as the herbs melt into the honey. And more often than not, they will be happy taking their “herbal honey” because they helped make it.

For children’s honey, follow the same procedure that is written above but instead of the onions and garlic, choose gentle kid-friendly herbs like elderberry, lemon balm or linden flowers. I also like to add cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans for an extra pleasant flavor with medicinal benefits. Elderberry is a great source of vitamin C and is an antiviral, lemon balm is calming and antiviral, and linden flowers help with fevers and flu. Cinnamon tastes great and also helps with stomach flus and vanilla, well vanilla is just yummy.

Herbal Apple Cider ‘Fire’ Vinegar I

Another food that is commonly found in the kitchen that can be used not only for its own curative properties but also as a vehicle for medicinal herbal mixtures is apple cider vinegar. For centuries apple cider vinegar has been touted for its natural health benefits.

Apple cider vinegar is the result of dual fermentation of naturally occurring sugars in apples. At the beginning of the process apples are pressed or crushed and the first stage of fermentation begins when the juice is set aside to become apple cider. During the second stage, the sugars are further fermented from apple cider into apple cider vinegar. The vinegar contains many natural ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and acetic acid. Being both antibiotic and antiseptic it helps neutralize toxins in the body. The organically made versions of these natural vinegars provide more health benefits than others because the apples initially used contain more minerals and enzymes than the non-organic fruit.

Interesting research can now be found studying the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. The best researched, and the most promising, of apple cider vinegar’s possible health benefits is with diabetic patients. Several studies have found that apple cider vinegar may help lower glucose levels. For instance, one 2007 study of eleven people with type-2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by four to six percent. Notwithstanding recent studies, people world-wide have been praising the benefits of apple cider vinegars in what they call “fire-vinegars.”

To make your own ‘fire vinegar’, you will need a wide-mouthed glass jar; preferably with a plastic lid because vinegar can corrode a metal top. Pour into the jar one cup of apple cider vinegar and next add three tablespoons of each of the following: chopped onion and garlic, grated fresh ginger and grated horseradish. (You can buy either of these fresh roots in the produce section of your grocery store, but if not, you can find usually find them already grated in glass jars with vinegar). Next add one tablespoon of the following: mustard seeds with black peppercorns or black peppercorns by themselves, and one or more whole cayenne chilies, or one-eighth of a teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper or one teaspoon of dried chili flakes if cayenne is not available. Cap the mixture and let it sit from two to four weeks, shaking the bottle daily to mix the herbs together with the liquid. (Yes, you can use the vinegar before the allotted time if you feel the need). After the allotted time, strain the mixture using cheesecloth in order to extract all of the liquid from the herbs. To all of the above, add one-third of cup of honey to help preserve and sweeten your vinegar mixture, pour it into a clean bottle and then label and date it before storing it away in your cupboard.

Herbal Apple Cider ‘Fire’ Vinegar II

Here is an alternative ‘fire-vinegar’ recipe:

Pour one cup of apple cider vinegar into your wide-mouthed glass jar and to this add: one-quarter of a cup of grated fresh horseradish, one chopped onion, one chopped ginger root, one head garlic peeled and chopped, a half of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and one-third of a cup of organic honey. The mixture process is the same as that written above for the first ‘fire-vinegar’ recipe.

These vinegars can keep for as long as two years. When you’re feeling sick and in an acute state, get your vinegar out and take from one-half to a full teaspoon every few hours. For the prevention of illnesses, either use your vinegar mixture over salads or take one teaspoon from one to two times daily.

Winter Molasses Power Drink

A third natural remedy that can be found in the kitchen, and is referred to as the ‘poor man’s tonic’, is blackstrap molasses. One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses a day can actually provide the body with up to 20% of the recommended daily value of many vitamins and minerals including: iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and cooper and manganese. Iron provides energy and boosts metabolism. Copper helps the human body utilizes iron, eliminate free radicals and produce melanin. Calcium is needed to promote: healthy teeth and bones, blood-clotting abilities, enzyme activity and toxin removal. Manganese helps to synthesize fatty acids used by the nervous system. So if blackstrap molasses was not found in your kitchen before, it should be now.

Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar distillation process in which sugar cane is refined into sugar. During the processing, cane juice is heated, sugar crystals are extracted, and black strap molasses is the result of the third distillation in the course of extracting sugar.

Among the many health benefits of blackstrap molasses is its ability to help with the following conditions: anxiety, anemia, pain from arthritis, constipation, heart palpitations, and it’s also been claimed to help restore gray hair back to its original color. Along with helping to alleviate these conditions, blackstrap molasses can also be used for improving ulcers, psoriasis, varicose veins, dermatitis, rheumatism, and even benign tumors.

Black strap molasses can be added to cookie batters, beans and soups; however, the easiest way to include molasses into your daily routine is to make it into drink. And here is how it is done:

In a coffee mug add one tablespoon of organic black strap molasses, one tablespoon of organic honey, next add boiled water and mix well. If you chose to, you can lighten the drink with either: rice, soy, almond, or hemp milk. Make this blackstrap molasses quaff your morning drink and enjoy the burst of energy you will feel as you begin your day. You will be happy to know that you are giving your body a burst of its needed vitamins and minerals.

So, this winter, be both prepared and be pro-active. Spread medicinal honey on your toast or add it to your oatmeal, add your ‘fire-vinegar’ to salads or soups, and start each day with your powerful molasses drink and be equipped to conquer the world this winter.

First aid kit for the summer

The summer months are the time for fun and adventure. It is a time when mom’s, dad’s and babe’s get to spend time outdoors which is exciting but can also can leave you vulnerable for bug bites, bumps and bruises. Below is a list of some products that are inexpensive, effective and easy to carry.

French green clay– Is the perfect product for mosquito bites. French green clay is presently marketed as a ‘facial mask’ but herbalists have been using pure, healing clays for centuries. The green clay is best used to alleviate the pain associated with mosquito bites. For mosquito bites the clay is used in the form of a paste. Put a ½ teaspoon of green clay in a cup and add a few drops of water till the clay begins to stick together, forming a paste. Scoop up the paste and spread it over the bite. When the clay dries it might begin to crumble off; so if the bite is still painful you can spread another layer of clay over the existing one, and you can continue layering as needed. The green clay will help to pull out the toxins, reduce inflammation and soothe the skin.

Arnica gel-is a wonderful product that stays fresh in your purse or diaper bag and is easy to carry around. It is used for bumps and bruises. Applied immediately after a bump it will reduce the swelling and help ease the pain. (It can also be used later but the sooner the better). The gel can be applied either 3x a day or every 15 minutes if the injury is very painful. Do not apply to open skin. The homeopathic pellets of arnica are also very helpful and those are dissolved under the tongue. Three pellets are the standard dosage.

Natural bug spray-Most bug repellents have the chemical DEET which is a potentially toxic chemical. There are a variety of natural bug repellents made from essential oils which can be very effective. The down side to essential oils is that they need to be re-applied more often, but essential oils used in bug repellent formulas are safe (keep away from your and your child’s eyes), good for the environment and pleasant smelling. One of my favorite products is from healing spirits www.healingspirits.com and the product comes in a small, easy to carry size that will fit perfectly into a diaper-bag, purse or back-pack. I suggest spraying the product onto the child’s clothing or sprayed into your child’s hair.

So, this summer be adventurous and enjoy the beautiful hikes, beaches, and parks just be prepared with these three beneficial products.