admin

Angela Taylor, MS, CNS, LDN is Board-Certified in Clinical Nutrition and is the author of The BrainFood Cookbook. She successfully recovered her son from autism using the SCD/GAPS/Paleo diet. She resides in Baltimore, MD and holds three degrees from John Hopkins University. Angela is a Licensed Clinical Nutritionist and works with clients via Skype and in-person in Baltimore. www.brainfood-nutrition.com She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University teaching Clinical Nutrition.

FIR (Far Infrared) Sauna

Published on

heavenlyheatsaunaDr. Dietrich Klinghardt wrote: “Peer reviewed literature shows that sweating during sauna therapy eliminates high levels of toxic metals, organic compounds, dioxin, and other toxins.” While detoxification of toxic chemicals and heavy metals is a main value of sauna bathing, there are many other benefits:
– Relaxation and Endorphin Release
– Increased Blood Flow
– Immune System Stimulation
– A rise in body temperature that can kill some viruses and bacteria
– Relief from Pain and Stiffness

We love Heavenly Heat saunas because they build chemically safe, low-EMF saunas of the highest quality. However we (unwisely) purchased the cheapest 15 Amp model, and learned some important lessons:
1) don’t get the 15 Amp – it takes a long time to heat up. (using FIR heater alone, air temp would barely reach 115°F) And for me, air temp must be above 150°F or I don’t sweat. So here is what we did: they can sell you a dual-heater model with both a 15 Amp (110V) FIR heater and a 220V traditional rocks heater. Best of both worlds!
2) The smallest sized sauna enclosure is great for heating up quickly, which over the long term makes it more economical from an energy standpoint. Sitting up you can fit 2-3 people in it, or if only 1 person even stretch your legs out on the bench. But you can’t lie down fully flat, you won’t fit.
3) FIR is very effective at getting the toxins “loose” from their hiding places, but our son has trouble sweating them out. So, we must use a detox foot bath immediately afterwards… or he regresses back to toe walking for a couple days.

Heavenly Heat http://www.heavenlyheatsaunas.com

Unrefined Sea Salt

Published on

celtic_sea_saltHigh quality sea salt is vital to health and well-being. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Selina DeLangre, the owner of Celtic Sea Salt. We discussed the importance of using unprocessed, whole salt which leaves the naturally occurring, essential minerals intact. She assured me that absolutely no additives are added, nor anything removed from the salt that would alter it. Also Selina told me how she personally goes to each harvesting site around the world to inspect their harvesting and purity practices.

When I asked Selina her opinion on the differences between Himalayan Salt and Celtic Sea Salt, she pointed out that Himalayan salt is a mined product, whereas Celtic Sea Salt is a sustainable, living, harvested product.

salt_your_way_to_healthA great book to learn more about salt: Salt Your Way to Health by David Brownstein, M.D.

Magnetic Calcium Bentonite Clay

Published on

specialclayThere is a special clay found in the mountains of Wyoming that has a unique pulling/detoxifying action.

Done the traditional way, clay baths are messy (understatement!). These are instructions for the OLD way, which I don’t do anymore:
Fill the tub, add about a cup of clay powder, then put your kid in for 20 minutes (set a timer) No one else gets in the tub.
Get him out, rinse him off in the shower.
To drain tub:
I’d put a plastic cylinder (the outside sleeve of a Wonder Cup or Pampered Chef measuring cup) over the drain, to let most of the water out, while keeping most of the clay in the bottom of the tub. I then let it settle overnight with a few inches water in the tub.
By morning, all the clay had settled to the bottom. (But after you use the clay in the bath, the clay is toxic now, containing a lot of toxins from your kid, so you don’t want to touch it.)
Wearing rubber gloves, I’d carefully remove the plastic cylinder to allow the rest of the water to drain.
Then use a plastic dustpan to scoop out most of the clay into a trash bag and throw away. Wipe out what remains with paper towels, or rinse down the drain (hopefully your pipes won’t get clogged…)

So the traditional clay baths in the bathtub are so messy that I found myself never wanting to do one…

My new method with the clay water that is much less messy, by combining clay water + using my Optimum Focus detox foot bath.
Video: Clay bath combined with with ionic footbath
• Fill a blender jar with warm water, add a mere tablespoon of clay, whizz it together
• Footbath option #1: Pour the blender water into footbath tub. Add additional water to fill up the foot tub. Do Optimum Focus footbath for 20 minutes. Then dump the used water down the toilet.
• or preferable: Full body bath Option #2: Pour the blender water into bathtub. Add additional water to fill up the bathtub. Place child and array into tub, run for for 20 minutes. Pull the plug and drain as usual. Rinse tub and child.

Q: Why do I specify using the Optimum Focus brand of detox “footbath”?
A: The Optimum Focus is much more powerful than other brands, so the Optimum Focus is useful for clay, which is not as conductive as salt. I still aim for 1.0 Amps onscreen, but I have to turn the power dial up to the MAX (much higher with clay than with salt) to achieve a 1.0 Amps reading on the digital readout. I don’t yet know of any other footbaths on the market powerful enough to generate 1.0 Amps in clay water.

Discipline: 1-2-3 Magic

Published on

We found this book and video to be enormously helpful:

1-2-3magicbookBook: 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan
DVD: 1-2-3 Magic: Managing Difficult Behavior in Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan

The video explains how to do this program the correct way — and the real kid/mom scenes are super helpful! (and hilarious too)

Initially the method was hit-or-miss for us (mostly miss) as James’ transition skills were still so “stuck” that he couldn’t make himself stop the activity, even if he knew the timeout would happen for noncompliance. We took James for chiropractic adjustments, and also to a homeopath who administered 2 homeopathic remedies (Helium 12C and Ignatia Amara 7C). His compliance really improved after these interventions.

GAPS/Paleo compliant frozen meals

Published on
/

chicken-meatballsEfficiency Tip #1 – Frozen Meals that are GAPS/Paleo compliant? YES!

Beetnik foods is a fast-growing national company specializing in gluten-free, grass-fed cuisine. I have found it in the freezer case of my local Whole Foods and MOM’s Organic Market, and/or you can mail-order directly from Beetnik. I ordered the Paleo Resolution (5 dinners / 5 breakfasts). I’m happy to report that the Chicken Meatballs are a hit and totally GAPS-compliant. (Unfortunately the Peruvian stew was too spicy for us.)

Read the labels carefully to discern the best fit for your family’s current diet, as some items contain tapioca flour (Yes tapioca is Paleo compliant, but not GAPS compliant).

www.beetnikfoods.com

A Good Night’s Sleep

Published on
/

Girl Sleeping On Bed In Dark Bedroom

Our child still needs 11-12 hours sleep per night so we make that a scheduling priority when planning our family’s activities. In the hours leading up to bedtime we are sure to eliminate any stimulating activities, and exposure to “blue light” from TV, phone, and computer screens. If your child has trouble falling asleep, you may want to have him wear “blue blocker” glasses starting a couple hours before bedtime. We use inexpensive safety goggles with orange lenses, such as these orange Uvex glasses.

Magnesium oil applied topically can also help your child to settle down at night. Some brands make us itch, in which case I discovered applying it only to the soles of feet is itch-free. I did eventually find a brand that doesn’t cause us itching – Ease Magnesium Oil.

Earthing helps to reduce systemic inflammation as the free electrons on the surface of the Earth are transferred to the human body via walking barefoot on the Earth or grabbing a metal rod with bare hands. Specially interwoven earthing fitted bedsheets contain silver conductive threads (and/or earthing sleep mats go under fitted sheets) which are then connected to the grounding socket in an electrical outlet. Sleeping while grounded allows the body to absorb/utilize the earth’s electrons to neutralize free radicals and inflammation. You only need one sheet to be grounded so they sell a kit with a fitted sheet, outlet checker, and grounding cord. They are a bit fragile – be sure to dry them on “low” and don’t allow your child to jump on the bed! I periodically check to be sure my earthing sheets are working with a continuity tester kit, and replace sheets as needed.

The area around your child’s bed should be a low-EMF zone. Remove any electric appliances and/or lamps from your child’s nightstand. If you currently use a stationary or ceiling fan, use a Trifield EMF meter to see if EMF levels are high at your child’s bed (and discontinue use if so). Read my blog post on EMFs for additional tips to reduce your EMF exposure.

Your child should sleep in complete darkness for best detoxing (and best melatonin production). Ideally the room should be so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. We installed special room-darkening curtains, and we don’t use a nightlight. We found the nightlight in the bathroom to be too bright/disruptive in the middle of the night. We bought a special amber (orange) nightlight bulb, and installed this plug-in dimmer knob.

Essential oils (such as lavender) are becoming ever more popular. There are a couple of safety tips to keep in mind. 1) Never ingest essential oils orally. 2) For topical use, always dilute essential oils into a neutral carrier oil:

0-3 months old 0.1-0.2%

3-24 months old 0.25-0.5%

2-6 years old 1.2%

6-15 years old 1.5-3%

15 years or older 2.5-5%

See also: Zen Lemons sleep tips and PaleoMom’s sleep tips.

 

GABA

Published on

The idea to take GABA was a natural ADD treatment we read about in this book:
healingaddHealing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the 7 Types of ADD

Recently, studies have indicated that enhancing GABA activity may be beneficial in improving mental performance in children and may also be helpful in treating ADD and promoting better brain and mental health at all ages. Low levels or decreased GABA function in the brain is associated with several psychiatric and neurological disorders, but most primarily anxiety, depression, insomnia, and epilepsy. But rather than rely on drugs to accomplish this goal, a natural form of GABA known as PharmaGABA may be the best approach. (you want to avoid dangerous synthetic GABA) PharmaGABA is naturally manufactured via a fermentation process that utilizes Lactobacillus hilgardii—the bacteria used to ferment vegetables in the preparation of the traditional Korean dish kimchi.

A study was conducted in Japan by researchers from the Kyorin University Medical School, which involved 60 sixth graders. The students were divided into two groups and received either 100 mg of PharmaGABA or a placebo. The students then took a math test and were also evaluated for signs and feelings of stress. The results were quite dramatic. The average number of answers given by the PharmaGABA group was 20 percent higher than the placebo group, and the number answered correctly also increased by 20 percent. These results indicate that Pharma-GABA helped the kids not only think faster, but also get more answers right.

GABA molecule
The GABA molecule is an important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system

We found a whole 250mg tablet is too much (and it seems to give him nosebleeds) so I use a pill cutter, and give him only a half tablet, every night before bed. (I have also tried it – GABA is relaxing, and helps me sleep better by calming the mind.)

Bedwetting

Published on

Many kids with bedwetting problems have primitive reflex issues. MNRI therapy for Spinal Galant, Spinal Perez, and Babinski can be very helpful for bedwetting.

7stepstonighttimedrynessI also recommend the book Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness: A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Bedwetting

chummieThe Chummie is the device (bedwetting alarm) we decided to use.

Mind you, we aren’t at 100% success yet. If our son drinks too much before bed, we still have issues.
So we try to remember – cut off all liquids an hour or 1 1/2 hours before bed.

Neurofeedback

Published on

neurofeedbackVERY IMPORTANT – you must do a MNRI assessment (and MNRI therapy to correct deficits) before starting Neurofeedback. We discovered the hard way that Neurofeedback will cement in any improper reflex patterns. I do think Neurofeedback is very valuble, especially Z-score training, but:

Again – Do not start neurofeedback until all MNRI deficits are corrected!

We have worked with 2 Neurofeedback docs:

Mark Smith in NYC. www.neurofeedbackservicesny.com Under his care we bought a home system from BrainMaster, and Mark gave us a settings file for home training. Mark uses Infra-Slow Fluctuation (ISF) Training.

We later opted for 4-channel Z-score training, which aims to get all parts of the brain connecting/communicating. Our mentor: Penijean Gracefire at StressTherapy Solutions.

Here are behaviors which eluded us previously, which are now happening!
Do something the first time when asked.
Go to the potty when asked.
No tantrums (foot stomping).
Set the table every night.
Clear the table every night.
Clean up toys & leave school immediately at pickup time.
Help cook dinner.
Stop making rude statements like “I have to do everything and you do nothing!”
Remain seated at mealtimes.
Take vitamins on first ask, not multiple reminders.
Blow nose when asked.
Volunteer to be helpful.

MNRI – Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Integration

Published on

mnriThe official description from the MNRI website: Fundamental to the MNRI Method is the understanding that automatic primary motor reflex patterns do not disappear, they integrate. While most people in the general health and wellness community are quite familiar with primary motor reflex patterns, they generally view the patterns as developmental milestones. In the course of working with a patient, if primary motor reflex patterns are found active beyond the expected or typical developmental time period, the presence of the pattern is viewed as an indication that underlying developmental or neurological issues may exist.

In other words: if a child has reflex issues (and most Autistic/ADHD kids do) it will also cause behavior problems.

First the patient receives an assessment of all reflexes from an MNRI professional.
For example here is a video, testing for a Babisnki Response:
Comparing Babinski Response Present and Absent

The beauty of the MNRI program – after receiving the assessment of all reflexes – the parents are trained to do the various daily therapy exercises themselves, at home. Usually with nothing more needed than a massage therapy table.

  • To receive an assessment (and therapy/training) in the Washington DC area: Mary Rentschler (202) 244-8280.
  • To receive an assessment anywhere in the world, and also attend a seminar for training, see http://masgutovamethod.com/events?conference=1&course=1
  • I started with the 2-Day MNRI® Parent Workshop (only parents attend the seminar classes during the day, but you can bring you child beforehand for an assessment).
  • Another good way to begin is to enroll in a Multi-Day MNRI® Family Educational Conference. Parents and children attend these week-long seminars, children receive therapy all day long, both from MNRI professionals, and from their parents (as the parents are taught to do the exercises themselves).
  • Or, if you are part of a local autism (or ADHD) group, and you would like to be a Local Area Coordinator and bring a Mastutova Method seminar to your area, please contact the MNRI Coordinator at jmartin.dtp@gmail.com.

MNRI Official Website www.masgutovamethod.com

 

1 2 3 4 5 … 7