Health, Home, and Happiness

Looking back to this spring when I started looking into remineralizing teeth and holistic dentistry, I started using tooth soap, and actually took the step of getting my root-canalled tooth pulled back in September.

I know it's not something to be taken lightly to have a root canal pulled out because of future health concerns, but I weighed the pros and cons for myself and elected to have our dentist pull it.  After pulling, the dentist noted there was a lot of granulomatous tissue in the area, suggesting that my body was attempting to wall off an area of chronic infection.  Within a week I saw a huge improvement in the oral allergy syndrome that I had.  While I had the root canal tooth in, every time I'd try to eat any raw fruit or veggie my whole mouth would itch and begin to swell. After having all my fruits and veggies cooked for years, eating raw is a welcome change! I still get a little itching with avocados (that's the first veggie that bothered me, or are avocados fruits? I can't remember now) but nothing like it was before and it's going away as time passes.  I'm sure looking forward to eating fruit salad this summer, as well as fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, both things I couldn't have before without dealing with the itching and swelling.

In addition to getting rid of oral allergy syndrome, I've been able to tolerate many more milk products now without getting sinus infections.  This could be a combination of getting the root canal pulled (it was a top back molar, so near the maxillary sinus) and being on GAPS, but I do think that both have played a role in being able to eat cheese without sinus or GI issues. 

I also got some sort of arthritis following the birth of both of my children, pain and stiffness in my ankles and feet especially in the morning, for about 3 months after childbirth. I'm curious to see if this happens again, now that I don't have the root canal.  I believe it was an autoimmune issue, but of course can't be positive.

Tooth Soap
After reading about pulling teeth, are you now thinking that maybe brushing your teeth with soap isn't so extreme after all? ~grin~ I still like using tooth soap and I use it on my kids. I haven't converted my husband yet.  He tried it once and said he used lots and it was too soapy.  Go figure, sweetheat, more isn't always better.  I just use a little and I don't mind it, and neither do the kids.  I have noticed this winter that my teeth aren't nearly as sensitive to cold as they once were.  I still have the two little cavities that I'm hoping will heal.  Eating more real foods and less processed foods should help this as well.  I am perfectly happy using soap as my toothpaste still, 6 months later.

More:

• Recommended Reading: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
• My thoughts on removing a root canal
• More holistic type things and my reasoning for them: Juicing, diet for gut health, eating to stay healthy as opposed to taking supplements.
• Looking at Tooth Soap
• Other Natural Remedies that I've tried (ear aches, mastitis, and pink eye are all in there)
• Louisa asks if there is a connection between root canals and cancer 
• And Ann Marie talks to Rami Nagel about curing tooth decay.  I still haven't bought his book, but it's on my list of books that I want to read.

Share
Are you using Swagbucks to search and win yet?  I use mine for Amazon certificates.

Also! Tropical Traditions is running a 10% off coupon code until Wednesday.   You can use that along with my referral code 5682145 for a free book on coconut oil with your order. 

Orange peels, water, a teaspoon or so of vanilla is nice too.  If you're nervous about leaving something going on the stove unattended, there are little crock pots that are safe for this. I leave mine covered so the water doesn't evaporate as quickly, the smell still fills the whole house nicely.   When we had a wood stove, I left a pot like this on the wood stove every day.

Making your own natural air freshener is a nice inexpensive way to get toxins out of your home.  There's nothing good in Febreez or PlugIns or artificially-scented candles (fragrance oil is artificial).



Share
Are you using Swagbucks to search and win yet?

Share

Squash pancakes are a favorite in this house. We top them with yogurt now that we're tolerating dairy (see my guest post at Cheeseslave's blog: How GAPS is Helping Our Family).



If you're not on GAPS, squash pancakes are still good. A little more crumbly than wheat pancakes, but you could always add some wheat flour to help them hold together. Because they contain carb/veggie (squash), fat (coconut oil), and protein (eggs), this is an easy all-in-one meal. 


What we use:
3/4 cup of pulp from juicing or cooked squash. I cut the seeds out of apples before I juice them so I can do this.
6 eggs
1 or 2 tablespoons of coconut flour, shredded coconut, or almond flour if needed to thicken
Dash of sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil + more as needed for frying.
*Optional: Honey, 1-2 tablespoons.  My kids don't care about the honey, so I leave it out. 

I whir it through my food processor because my juicer leaves big chunks.  If you have a better juicer you could mix it in a bowl with a fork.

I start the pan on medium heat and then turn it down to med-low after flipping.  Smaller pancakes work better than big ones. 

I think it's amusing if I have green pulp from juicing; we have green pancakes.  My kids love these, especially my 3-year-old. 

Hubby slyly suggested I blog about making blueberry bagels.  I believe he was more concerned about his belly than my readers, but we'll go with it.  I told him we didn't have blueberries, to which the response was, well, we do have onions. Onion bagels it is.

Homemade bagels are amazing warm and fresh from the oven. I just made a basic white bread yeast dough, then added two onions that I had shredded (with the grater blade) in the food processor. I've done them with soaked wheat as well, they just take a little longer to rise.

Mixed in the KitchenAid. I love my mixer, I've heard that Bosch makes a nice one too, but this one works well for me.  I don't think I'd make nearly as much fresh bread as I do without it. Dump ingredients in and go is good for a lazy foodie like me ~smile~

Dough is slightly sticky, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, I'm not particular about it. I added a bunch of farm fresh golden egg yolks leftover from making macaroons the day before.

To form the bagels I roll a ball, slightly flatten, then stick my thumb through to make the whole.  I think they're lumpy because of the onions, or maybe the butter in the dough left lumps.

Allow to rise on a greased pan or dish while the water starts to boil.  It takes my stove forever to boil a big pot of water like this.

Put risen bagles into boiling water, I have them stay there until they float to the surface then remove with a slotted spoon, placing on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 until cooked through, about 25 minutes.  These are darker because of the egg yolk. A little lumpy, but yummy.



Share
Are you using Swagbucks to search and win yet?

Share

Reading Real Food for Mother and Baby reminded me of some things about breastfeeding, specifically the relationship between 'traditional parenting' and milk supply that I've noticed as I've been a mother. I researched breastfeeding while pregnant with my first, subsequently putting away my 'if they're old enough to ask for it, they're too old to have it' bias. In looking at traditional cultures, the nutrition needs of toddlers, and my own experience in working with little ones, I decided that it was my goal to nurse my children until they were two and then I would consider weaning, depending on the individual child's personality and needs.

Through various parenting trials and errors I found that the more traditional-parenting approach (keeping the children with Mom as their primary caregiver, not using bottles or artificial nipples, remaining in close contact throughout the day, resisting strict schedules) helped prevent nursing strikes and keep my milk supply up. I'm not one who always has an abundance of milk.  If I'm stressed at all, my milk supply starts to drop.  I can tell that my milk supply is dropping by the baby; he starts thrashing more at the breast (the milk isn't letting down), and his diapers aren't as wet as they are when I have plenty of milk.  Breastfeeding into the second year is a priority for me, personally, so at the first sign of a supply dip I figure out how to relieve stress, I drink Mother's Milk Tea, and I make sure to encourage nursing often. 

Key elements that help me maintain milk supply and keep a good nursing relationship with my little one:

• Sleeping together.  We choose to keep the baby in our bed to sleep.  Honestly, I tried having my first sleep in a bassinet next to my bed and then getting up to nurse her, then put her back in her own bed, but that didn't even last a full night.  Sleeping together allows me to nurse while mostly asleep so I'm well rested for the day ahead. It also helps when baby becomes more active; he is so busy doing everything else during the day that he may decide to reverse cycle and do most of his nursing at night. I know it sounds like a pain, but most moms can learn to nurse as they sleep.  
• Having baby drink 'from the tap'.  Again, with my first I experimented with allowing others to feed her by pumping and filling a bottle with milk.  This resulted in me leaking all over and having my milk supply be generally out of whack with her needs.  With my second, I didn't pump at all and that seemed to help my supply keep up with demand more efficiently.
• Nurse on demand during the infancy stage. With my little babies (until about a year) if they want to nurse, I nurse them. The first year especially is full of so many growth spurts that I listen to them, even if they seem to be nursing 23 out of 24 hours a day.  If they're crying but not particularly wanting to nurse, I try to find the root of the issue (reflux? too hot? need a change of scenery?).  Nursing on demand does not mean demanding they nurse every time they cry.
• Don't separate baby and mother.  Add it to my list of politically incorrect convictions ~smile~ but I believe baby and mother were designed to stay together for the first bit. I tote my young sidekick around with me for the first year and then some, even for a quick run to the grocery store. I think it's more than just having the milk available to nurse on demand; being in close proximity keeps both of us calm, which influences hormones and in turn milk production.  
• Anticipate supply dips and work on keeping your milk production going.  I know that my milk supply will dip if I'm under stress, haven't slept enough, am sick, or my cycle is starting (mine came back at 12 months and 7 months respectively).  I respond well to Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Tea, but not all women do.  Millet and quinoa are grains that are traditionally used to promote milk supply.  
• Trouble Breastfeeding? Kellymom.com is my favorite all-around breastfeeding resource.
• If breastfeeding doesn't work out, for whatever reason, Ann Marie describes how to make a nourishing infant formula.  Even in traditional cultures with stellar nutrition and environmental conditions, a small percentage of women still are not able to provide enough or any milk for their baby.  If that is the case, there are better options out there than commercial formula, I would encourage you to look into a homemade formula or human milk donation.  I would consider the homemade formula as an alternative to plain cow's milk for underweight toddlers as well.
  

Some frequently asked questions that I get from people who aren't familiar with this whole extended nursing/traditional parenting thing...

Don't you need some time to yourself?
Both my babies have done well napping on their own. For a while my second would only nap if he was held, so I tucked him in a pouch sling for his naps and I sewed or blogged or did whatever.  Later he moved to a bouncer to nap, and now he takes good naps in our bed.  I encourage napping independently, I know a lot of people recommend that mom nap with the baby, but I will gently lay baby down or nurse them to sleep on the bed repetitively until they get in the habit of staying asleep for a good nap.  With my babies, it's worked well for me to go in and nurse them back to sleep as soon as they start to stir (if they're not ready to get up yet) and eventually they get into the habit of taking their needed naps. 

So... you know... what about 'married time' 
The above-mentioned bouncer in another room ;) Or the couch. I realize this only works because both children are young. I believe that with creativity this can work.

My baby's only 2 weeks old, there is no way I can do this for two full years!
Good for you for giving her a good start! I felt the same way when my first was a newborn, so I just focused on that day, or that week, or that month and it easily turned into 2 years.  Even if you do stop breastfeeding before whatever time is your goal, good for you for trying it and giving your baby a good start, however long that is.  I don't judge anyone for the amount of time they breastfeed. We all come from different situations. My goal here is to encourage you, not to judge you.

Will she ever wean? 
My first weaned easily once my second was born. I saw that she had made the adjustment to having a baby brother easily, so I suggested that she 'nurse' her baby while I nursed her brother and she happily did so.  This is my only experience with weaning, so I don't have a lot of advice to give ~smile~ I don't think I would ever encourage early weaning due to fear of how hard it would be to wean later.

Feel free to ask anything else, I only have the experience of two kids but I'll answer what I can.

More:
See my collection of childbirth related posts
An interview with lactation specialist Jessica Solomon
Natural treatment for mastitis

Part of WFMW and Real Food Wednesday 
And anyone with a baby knows that feeding the baby can make or break the budget, so this is a part of Kimi's Pennywise Platter Thursday