Herbs of Grace

Fall Apples

Happy Almost Halloween Everyone!!!

Here at the NK house hold, we’re planning a Halloween Party!! Complete with bloody hands (Eww..), And dancing (Yay)!! We’ve got bags of decorations ready and we even changed the house’s name to Three Ghouls Grove, instead of Three Girls Grove. If you want to drop in and join the fun, feel free!! You can even print out an invitation here!

Me, Scarlet and Mom, well… We all caught the cold that’s going around. The traits: Stuffy nose, coughing, and gas, and not feeling your best. Anyway, Scarlet got well as soon as she got sick, it’s just what she does. But me and Mom have been sick for almost a week now. Izzy and Dad are immune to it, I’m guessing.

Here’s a surprise; Dad’s in the Winter play! He plays Hogg, the Butcher in “O Holy Night”. I play Celeste, Scarlet plays…Scarlet!! And Izzy is playing Lilac, smelling and acting as sweet as one. You can come see it at the Morton Roxy, in December. Come and see it!! Oh, and Mom’s doing the makeup.

Our ice cream chart got a update last night when we went to Miss Hannigan’s (Elysa’s) house, it was like this: Mom (Wimpy), Dad (Bigger), Shanna (Even bigger!). But now, it’s like this: Mom (Wimpy), Dad (Bigger), Shanna (Even bigger!), Ms. Hannigan (Huge! And you get seconds!). Ughh… That makes me full just thinking about it. I’m stuffed.

And don’t forget; This month, brushes are twenty percent off!!

‘Til next month!

Maleah

Hi,

Scarlet's Birthday Cake

Dad said I could start writing in the blog so, here I go! Since Dad hasn’t been writing, I guess I should start as far back as I can, which would be the play “Annie” in May. Yes, we did the big play Annie!! We were all orphans, I was the only one with my own lines though!!

Myself as the Prologue.

We were still skiing in May, also, that last day was very fun, we got to ski with our friends Joel, Laura, Austin, and Evan. We also went to a 40 Below birthday party in September.

The next big thing we did was Scarlet’s B-day in June. Five families showed up and we had a great time!! We had a jumping race, a talent show, and even a sing-off! Since that was Scarlet’s tenth B-day, we had a sleep over! Only the Loflins and Asia slept over, but it was still fun!

Isabel as Nicki.

The big thing that happened in July was our play. If you follow the blog you’ll know that Me, Scarlet and Isabel are in three plays every year. As I posted above, the spring play was “Annie”, and the summer play was “Romeo & Harriet”. “Romeo & Harriet” is “Romeo & Juliet” only not medieval and it’s a musical.

Scarlet as Carpaccio.

I was the Prologue, Scarlet was Carpaccio, and Izzy was Nicki. As the Prologue, I got to start off the WHOLE PLAY! Scarlet was in the Chorus that mostly gave commentary. For some weird reason the characters in the chorus had names of foods; Scarlet was Carpaccio (Aka Raw fish), Lydia was Rissoto, Cleo was Oregano, and Joshua was Mayo. And, Izzy was so cute in her suit!! Especially if she messed up in a dance.

We also visited the Pinnocks, who are friends of Mom’s.

We had quite a few things going on at the end of August-Beginning of September. First was our trip to Black Butte Ranch, it was really fun. Black Butte Ranch has a bunch of bike paths and quite a few pools so we had a lot of fun. It was probably a lot of fun ’cause our new baby cousin Annaliese was there, she’s very well behaved and very cute as well. We had a little birthday party for everyone born in September, so me,

Annaliese, the Queen of Cuteness.

Annaliese, Dad and Grandpa all got birthday presents! When we got home, we found a note on the dining room table saying Sheba had jumped out of the guest room window! Sure enough, there was a rip in the screen and an indentation in the bush where she had fallen, She was limping for a little while after that but she’s fine now.

Next was our trip to Herb Camp. It was our third time there, Dad’s second. It has everything a crazy-organic-herb-person like Mom likes, organic vegetarian food, three natural hot springs and six man-made ones, a perfect place to go and relax, naked, in the hot springs.

Sheba the Black Diamond Dog.

When we got back from camp, Mom had a voice message from the Millers on her cellphone saying Sheba had nosed my window up (the playroom window), tore through the screen and was on the brand new roof Dad built this Summer. After that, we decided that Sheba was a BDD (Black Diamond Dog).

Then at the end of September, the 27th, I turned 12. Mom says she can’t believe I’m going to be a teenager next year and that she and Dad must be counting wrong and I’m actually ten, and twins with Scarlet.

My Birthday Cake.

On the first of October was my B-day party!! Around seven families showed up, it was fun, I had a cake with a ferret on it (I got the head. Naomi, one of the Loflins, wanted the butt for some reason.), I got quite a few presents, and most importantly, I had the best time of my life.

I’ll post more about October soon.

Maleah

After preparing, choreographing and practicing for weeks, my daughters were finally ready to upload their video submissions to Disney’s “Shake It Up” Dance Contest yesterday (August 8), when they found that Disney had changed the deadline from August 16th to……..August 3.

Needless to say, it was a very disappointing and frustrating day for the three little girls from 3 Girls Grove : (

However, since they did such an amazing job and worked so hard, I just had to post their work here for your entertainment.

Here is “Watch Me”:

And here is “Break Out”:

Let the girls know how you liked their videos in the comment section!

In Part 1, I discussed the issue of sun avoidance and how, contrary to popular belief, avoiding sun exposure is actually detrimental to our health due to Vitamin D deficiency. I also brought up the fact that what we really need to avoid is not the sun, but sunburn.

One of the best ways to prevent sunburn is to expose your skin to small amounts of sunlight on a daily basis in late spring or summer and gradually increase that time. What this does is gradually increases the amount of time your skin can tolerate sun exposure without burning. The amount of time you need to start with can depend on a variety of factors, such as skin color, heredity, age, general health and level of nutrition. Many people can start with 10 minute of sun exposure and gradually build up to several hours a day without burning. Others may need to start with as little as a minute at first.

The important thing to remember is this – once your skin is starting to turn even slightly pink, it is time to get out of the sun. After that, your skin has reached it’s saturation point and will not make any more Vitamin D, but it will burn.

But what to do if you are not able to get out of the sun. What are our choices when we know that going indoors is not an option? I think planning in advance is key here. There are several options. Knowing them and planning your strategy beforehand so you can be prepared is essential.

Once you have spent a few minutes in the sun and/or your skin is starting to look slightly pink, some options for avoiding sunburn are:

*Go into the shade

*Put on light reflective long sleeve clothing and a broad-rimmed hat

*Apply a natural, safe and effective sunblock for the remainder of your time in the sun

While the first two options are pretty straightforward, the last one needs some serious thought. As a cosmetic formulator and a mother, I have put much time into researching the best, most effective, and most importantly, the safest, options for sublock. Here is what I have found:

There are two main categories of sun screen:

*chemical absorbers

*physical barriers

Chemical absorbers create a chemical reaction to absorb UV rays. Some of the most common chemical absorbers used in sunscreens are are a class of chemicals called Benzophenones, including dioxybenzone and oxybenzone. In fact, according to Dr. Mercola, oxybenzone is present in up to 90% of all commercial sunscreens. Unfortunately, it has also been found to be extremely toxic and even more so when exposed to ultraviolet light (like the sun!).

The list of chemical absorbers used in sunscreens also incudes:

PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB,  glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA)

Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate)

Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate)

Digalloyl trioleate

Menthyl anthranilate

Avobenzone (butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane)

According to Dr. Loren Pickart, there are several reasons we should be concerned about using these chemicals on our bodies. Not only are they powerful free radical generators, which means that they increase cellular damage and changes that can lead to cancer, but they often have strong estrogenic activity, interfering with normal sexual development and  engendering a host of secondary medical problems. Additionally, they are synthetic chemicals that are alien to the human body and accumulate in body fat stores. This is because “the human body is well adapted to de-toxify biologicals that it has been exposed to over tens of millions of years. But it has often has difficulty removing new and non-biological compounds such DDT, Dioxin, PCBs, and chemical sunscreens.”

As early as the 1970′s, it was proven that up to 35% of sunscreen applied to the skin can pass through the skin and enter the bloodstream (Maibach, H. “NDELA-Percutaneous Penetration.”  1978).

In effect, this means that chemical absorbers in sunscreen, which may inherently be very toxic, absorb UV rays in a chemical reaction and then a certain percentage of it may be absorbed into your skin, carrying with it the UV it absorbed, including the very damaging UVA rays. (Note: It is only the UVB rays that provide the body with Vitamin D. )

What about the physical barrier sunscreen agents, sometimes called reflectors? These are compounds that literally reflect or block the sun’s rays from your skin. The physical barriers used in sunscreens are:

*Titanium Dioxide

*Zinc Oxide

These are natural minerals that have been used in cosmetics for up to thousands of years. They have an impressive safety record throughout history. Most people are familiar with the white stripe of zinc oxide on the nose of lifeguards in years past. While these 2 ingredients are considered the safest sunblocks (they are full spectrum, by the way), many people are put off by their opaque white appearance.

That fact has led to the recent appearance on the market of sunscreens including micronized zinc and titanium dioxide, or nano-particles. This is the process whereby these ingredients have their particle size reduced to mere nanometers. This process has the effect of diminishing the opacity and eliminating the appearance of whiteness. However, one fact that is not well known, is that this process also converts titanium dioxide and zinc oxide from physical barriers into chemical absorbers and changes their chemical properties! So now they have the same dangers as other chemical absorbers, including the extra hazard in this case of photo-activity, which means when exposed to sunlight it can react with other sunscreen chemicals and increase their free radical generation abilities.

There is also the questions of whether nano particles can be absorbed into the skin and eventually enter the bloodstream. There are conflicting report on this and in my opinion, the jury is still out on that one.

So, if you’ve made it this far, I applaud you on your conviction and determination to take responsibility for your own health and the health of your family by learning all you can about issues such as these and I will try to summarize my conclusions for you.

According to the empirical, anecdotal and scientific research I have been able to find, regular sized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide seem to be the best options for sunblock that are available to us today. Along with sensible sun exposure, light reflective clothing, hats and use of shade, these sunblocks are the best tools we have to protect ourselves from the damaging effects of sunburn.

One other note of importance is that what you eat can affect the tendency of  your skin to burn easily. According to Dr Mercola, foods rich in antioxidants, especially Vitamin C and astaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the tendency of your skin to burn and increase it’s tolerance to sun exposure.

For ease of use, I personally (and for my family) use my Natural Look Mineral Makeup Foundations (which include a base of titanium dioxide) as sunblock. What is your favorite sunblock and why do you use it?

Image: Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To finish up our series on carrier oils you may want to use for the Oil Cleansing Method, here are our last 6 oil descriptions:

(If you haven’t read the other posts in this series, go to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

Rose Hip Seed Oil: Another regenerative oil high in GLA’s and Vitamin C, Rose Hip Seed oil is an excellent choice for dry skin and scar healing. Can be used for up to 10% of your blend.

Sesame Seed Oil: This oil has anti-inflammatory benefits, rich in vitamins A and E and can be used for up to 25% of your blend.

Sunflower Seed Oil: Rich in vitamins A, D and E, this oil is very light but can provide extra protection in the winter months. Can be used for up to 100% of your blend.

Sweet Almond Oil: A very emollient, soothing oil, sweet almond oil is light but also penetrating and rich in fatty acids . It can be used for all skin types and for up to 100% of your blend.

Tamanu or Foraha Oil: This is a rich, thick oil with the documented ability to heal damaged skin, scars and stretch marks, that can be used for up to 25% of your blend.

Wheat Germ Oil: This oil is rich in protein, squalene and vitamins, A,D and E. It can be used for up to 5% of your blend.

There are many other oils that I have not covered in this article, but these are the most popular. My favorite places to obtain these oil are Mountain Rose Herbs and Appalachian Valley Natural Products.

What are your favorite carrier oils and why do you use them?

References: “Making Aromatherapy Creams and Lotions: 101 Natural Formulas to Revitalize & Nourish Your Skin ” by Donna Maria, Mountain Rose Herbs

The sun has decided to show it’s face again here in the Pacific Northwest…..oops, nope….it’s hiding behind the clouds again….However, we know it will return (for a short period of time) one of these days. That means picnics, barbecues, hiking, gardening, swimming and the children playing outside all afternoon. With summer’s arrival, and all the outside activities it brings, people are starting to, once again, think about sun protection.

As a cosmetic formulator, a natural health consultant and a mother, I believe I have a unique perspective on this issue. When thinking about sun protection, I feel there are two general questions that need to be asked:

1. Do we really need sun protection?
2. If so, what is the safest way to protect ourselves and our children from the sun?

In this article, I will cover the first question.

Do we really need sun protection?

The answer to this question might seem obvious to most people, but I think we need to dig a little deeper to find out if sun protection is really necessary, or even beneficial. Or, on the other hand, can avoiding the sun actually be detrimental to our health?

We have all been taught that we need to protect ourselves and our children from the harmful rays of the sun. In the last several decades, we have been conditioned to think that sunscreen, sunblock, hats, sunglasses and sun reflective clothing are necessary items for venturing outside, especially in the summer months. We’ve been told sun exposure promotes early aging of the skin, wrinkles and even cancer. We have been led to believe that if we drastically reduce our exposure to the sun, we will reduce our risk of cancer – skin cancer in particular. But we are beginning to see a very different reality, because in the same time period, we have seen cancer and auto-immune disease rates skyrocket.

Many health professionals and medical doctors are now beginning to realize that this rise in cancer is actually a result, in part, from our societal avoidance of sun exposure, not the other way around as we have been programmed so thoroughly to believe.

The crux of the issue is that one of the only, and best, ways of getting Vitamin D into our bodies, is through sunlight. We know that lack of sunlight can result in nutritional deficiencies. Without sunlight, vitamin D cannot be metabolized in the human body, which can result in rickets, which is making a comeback, among other conditions. Most enzymes, hormones and vitamins need light for proper functioning.[1] Vitamin D is particularly critical because it promotes normal growth and development of infants and children, particularly bones and teeth.[2]

According to mdadvice.com, “Vitamin D, or cholecalciferol, functions as both a vitamin and a hormone. It is required for the absorption and utilization of calcium and helps calcium to be deposited in your bones. Even marginal or slight deficiencies of vitamin D can increase your risk of osteoporosis and deterioration of the joints. Deficiencies of vitamin D can also contribute to thinning of the hair, brittleness of the nails, and rapid aging of the skin.”

William B. Grant, PhD is one of the top vitamin D researcher in the world. In a 2004 interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola, he explains the role of Vitamin D in our bodies in the following manner, “ When produced in the skin or ingested, it is a “vitamin” or “prehormone”and essential for life. Just as cholesterol is metabolized into testosterone, precholesterol is turned into cholecalciferol (vitaminD), which is metabolized into what now is looking more and more like a hormone [25(OH)D]. In turn, this is metabolized in the kidneys or other organs into an even more potent hormone [1,25(OH)2D].

Vitamin D is an essential part of the endocrine system as it controls several of the adrenal hormones, growth of cells, production of enzymes and has other direct genomic functions. The key difference in definition is that hormones have DNA receptor sites, and vitamin A is in that family as well as vitamin D, and vitamins are parts of coenzyme systems (not genomic). In a way, vitamins A and D are both vitamins and hormones.”

According to William B. Grant, Ph.D, vitamin D is not only necessary for proper assimilation of calcium and endocrine function, but it’s deficiency is associated with the development of a number of autoimmune diseases, autism, diabetes, schizophrenia, cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease.[3]

Vitamin D is not present in a wide variety of foods, but is confined mainly to fish liver oils, fatty fish, liver, egg yolks, and butter, and, to a lesser degree, cow’s milk. [4] So the main source of vitamin D for the vast majority of people is sunlight.

In light of this information (pun intended) I feel it is imperative that we rethink our position on the benefits and/or disadvantages of exposing our bodies to the sun based not only on current scientific research, but on thousands of years of empirical evidence.

In generations past, human beings spent far more time in the sun on a daily basis and suffered far less from the diseases we now know are brought upon us by a deficiency of vitamin D. Just as we learned from past generations which foods and plants prevent which conditions, we need to look to the past to learn how people kept themselves from being vitamin D deficient. Daily sun exposure is a large part of the equation.

So, if sun exposure is not only not detrimental to our health, but necessary for optimal growth and health, is there any danger at all to worry about? Should we just let our children play all day out in the sun without any protection?

Actually, the danger of skin cancer resulting from sun exposure is not completely ungrounded. Skin cancers do occur more frequently in people who have had a history of a greater number of sunburns throughout their formative years. So, the takeaway message is this: Make sure you have adequate daily sun exposure, but be proactive in preventing sunburn.

I will address the best ways to do this in the next article.

What do you think about using sun protection such as sunblock vs. getting adequate vitamin D from sun exposure? Please leave a comment below.

References:

1. http://www.holisticonline.com/Light_Therapy/light_intro.htm
2. http://www.mdadvice.com/library/vita/vitamin68.html
3.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/04/03/vitamin-d-grant.aspx
4. http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/hrt/hrt_nutrition.htm

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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A couple of months ago, I started series of posts describing various carrier oils that can be blended to create a cleansing, soothing and healing facial oil for use with the Oil Cleansing Method. You can read Part 1 and Part 2, if you haven’t seen them already.
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Here are the next 6 oil descriptions:
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Hemp Seed Oil: A very nutrient dense oil from an extremely useful plant, hemp oil contains high levels of essential omega fatty acids and protein and is especially beneficial for dry skin. It also absorbs quickly and can be used for up to 15% of your blend.
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Jojoba: Having an extremely long shelf life, jojoba is very useful for all skin types. It is closest in chemical structure to the skin’s own sebum, so it is very easily assimilated into the skin. It can be used for up to 50% of your blend.
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Kukui Nut Oil: High in essential fatty acids, this oil is wonderful for sensitive, damaged, dry or wrinkled skin. It can be used for up to 10% of your blend and is readily absorbed by the skin.
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Macadamia Nut Oil: Another oil similar to the sebum produced by human skin, macadamia nut oil absorbs very well into the skin and can be used for up to 20% of your blend. It is especially useful for healing scars and irritations.
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Olive Oil: The first pressing, or “Extra Virgin”, is more nutrient dense than subsequent pressings and so is the best choice for skin care. Olive is very conditioning and suitable for all skin types. It can be used for up to 100% of your blend.
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Peanut Oil: Excellent for oily skin, peanut oil is a very light oil, but penetrates deeply.
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Stay tuned for the last post in our series on the Oil Cleansing Method..

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References: “Making Aromatherapy Creams and Lotions: 101 Natural Formulas to Revitalize & Nourish Your Skin ” by Donna Maria, Mountain Rose Herbs

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A few weeks ago, I received an email from an organization that I am a member of -  the National Vaccine Information Center – letting me know that the state legislature here in Washington was going to be having hearings on a bill that might interest me. The bill, SB5005, was seeking to reduce the percentage of unvaccinated children in the state by making it harder for parents to obtain a vaccination exemption for their children. You can read the bill here.  As a natural health care consultant who has studied vaccine research and statistics for over 12 years, I was definitely interested.
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Currently, in Washington state, you can obtain any one of 3 vaccination exemptions  – medical, religious or philosophical. When you register your child in a public school program or daycare, you can ask to sign the religious or philosophical exemption form, as the parent or guardian of your child, and it goes into your child’s school records. Under SB5005 the parent would need to take the religious/philosophical exemption form, make an appointment with a qualified health care practitioner (only an MD, ND, PA or ARNP are considered qualified), listen to the vaccine “education” that would be provided by the practitioner, and then ask for their signature. The practitioner is under no legal obligation to actually provide the signature, however. Then the signed (if you managed to get a signature) exemption form is to be taken back to the school to be put into the child’s records.
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I told my three children, ages 11, 9 and 7 that I wanted to go to the capitol in Olympia and attend the hearing. I said that I was going to write a letter and submit it into the official record as testimony in opposition of the bill. My oldest daughter, Maleah, asked me if people could read their testimony aloud at the hearing. I said yes. She said “I want to do that!”.
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So, over the next several days, we talked about how important it is for parents to be in charge of the medical care their children receive. We discussed health freedom and how imperative it is that we maintain the right to decide for ourselves and our children what is, or is not, injected into our bodies. We spoke about how it is unconstitutional to require a parent to enter into a contractual, paid relationship with a health professional, who has a built-in conflict of interest, and who they may never have the need or desire to see otherwise, just to obtain a signature that the health practitioner is not legally required to give in the end anyway, because it puts the health care practitioner in the position of having final judgement over the parent’s beliefs. We talked about how this seemed like a very unfair and burdensome tactic to try to force parents, especially those who are financially strapped, into vaccinating their children against their better judgement.
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My daughter is very passionate about wanting to protect her rights, as well as those of everyone else and went to work immediately on her testimony. She has given me permission to post it here:
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Honorable Members of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee,
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My name is Maleah and I am eleven years old and I’m from Mossyrock (which is an hour away.) I’m here because I oppose this bill.
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My Mom is a homeopath and she keeps me healthy just fine, and guess what? She doesn’t use vaccines. But if this bill is activated, she can not sign my exemption form, even though she’s been studying vaccine research and knows more about it than most doctors.
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There are a bunch of other states that don’t have to have a doctor or nurse sign this form, so why does Washington have to?
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If this bill is activated, I am worried that it will be harder to get an exemption and that I might have to get vaccinated. If that happens I think that I might become a vaccine damaged child. I have a friend who was sick for 2 whole months from just one vaccination. I don’t want that to happen to me.
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Sincerely,
Maleah Nixon Klein
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She practiced reading it many times over the next couple of days and we talked about the importance of speaking clearly, loudly and slowly. She was ready and excited to talk about her beliefs regarding this bill in front of the entire House Health and Wellness Committee.
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The morning of the hearing, all 4 of us got up at 5am (very early for us) packed our maps, snacks and 25 copies of both of our testimonies and headed to Olympia. (You can read my testimony here. ) We were asked to be there at 7:30am so we could get signed in and get any of our questions answered before the hearing started at 8am. Our bill was set to be first on the agenda and the hearing would be ending at 10am because the House committee members needed to be on the floor at that time.
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When we walked into the building we were amazed at how many other Moms, Dads and children were also there to oppose this bill – almost 100 in all! The hearing got a late start because of all the people needing to sign in. People were sitting on the floor at the back and lining the walls down both sides of the room. When the hearing finally started, we noticed that the committee chair had changed the order of the agenda and our bill was now last….Interesting turn of events, I thought….
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When the meeting did finally start, I noticed something else that seemed a bit odd. The Chairwoman announced that even though some of the people who wanted to speak about these other bills that were ahead of SB5005 on the agenda were not there yet, she was going to go ahead and start with them, keep going down the list and then go back to each bill as those people arrived. Hmmmm, odd decision, it seemed to me, when we were all here, waiting, in a hot, crowded room with babes in arms, all prepared and ready to speak…
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Finally, (after having reached SB5005 on the agenda once already for 5 minutes and then going back to one of the other bills as someone arrived late to speak about it) they asked for testimony to be read for and against SB5005. After waiting for 2 hours in a stuffy, crowded hearing room, listening to testimony on 5 other bills (which, I must interject, my 3 daughters did an amazing job of enduring) we got to hear some fabulous testimony from a very articulate 7 year old girl with a vaccine injured older brother, and a teenage boy who was injured by vaccines as a toddler. They both did a wonderful job of telling their stories, as did their mothers. There were two other people who were allowed to share their testimony opposing the bill as well. However, 65 of the 95 people who showed up in opposition  also wanted to share their testimony aloud, and all too soon, it was 10 o’clock and the hearing was adjourned. My daughter did not get to read her testimony.
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One of the most concerning things I noticed about this hearing was that the opposition outnumbered the proponents of the bill by at least 9:1, however, the committee allowed just as many proponents of the bill to speak as those opposing……Something doesn’t seem right here…. If 95 people oppose the bill and 9 people are in favor of the bill, then doesn’t that mean that 9 people should be allowed to speak in opposition and 1 in favor? Especially if it is known in advance that there will be a shortage of time?
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Anyway, glad that at least we were able to get up and stretch our legs at last, we turned in our copies of our testimony, as well as taking copies to the offices of our individual representatives and senator. We felt that we made a good showing opposing this badly written bill and were hopeful that our representatives would do their job and represent what the people want – which was very clear in this case – to oppose SB5005.
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A week and several emails and letters later, SB5005 passed out of committee behind closed doors in executive session. The next week, after many more emails, letters and phone calls, SB5005 was passed on the House floor.
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My children were devastated when they heard the news…and I can’t say that I felt much better about it. They keep asking me how the bill could pass when so many people are against it? That is a difficult question to answer in language that is appropriate for a child….
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In my search to find a way to explain the outcome of this event to my girls, I came across this article, which I think, in part, explains how many political decisions are made in our country.
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So, what might you ask, is the lesson my children and I learned during this political adventure?  That is a question I am still trying to answer myself…..

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For the last several days, I have been writing about many different, natural ways to help protect our bodies from radiation damage as well as natural treatments for radiation exposure. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 if you haven’t already.

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It turns out that all of these protocols are common-sense, proactive things that we should all consider doing to support healthy immune functioning, cell regeneration and gentle detoxification on a regular basis.
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There is one more protocol I would like to add to the list:
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Radioprotective Herbs
These are herbs and medicinal foods that are either rich sources of chlorophyll and minerals, support detoxification and elimination, support the thyroid gland or neutralize free radicals.

Nettles

Gingko Biloba – while this herb has a history of being radioprotective, it is not appropriate for everyone as it has the ability to thin the blood.

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Nettles & Alfalfa – nettles has the highest concentration of land plant chlorophyll and is an excellent source of selenium; alfalfa is a very good source of chlorophyll also – and both these herbs are rich in a broad number of minerals.

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Pine Bark Extract, Green Tea Extract, Grape Seed Extract – increase expression of your glutathione system, which results in both metal detoxification and free radical neutralization.

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Triphala – studies have found that radiation induced mortality was reduced by 60% in mice fed with triphala.

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Tumeric – contains curcumin which is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and may help protect against radiation-induced damage to the skin.

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Ashwaganda – supports the thyroid and adrenal glands.

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Ginseng – can decrease side effects of radiation exposure as well as helping the body to adapt to stress to aid in recovery.

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Siberian Ginseng – can help protect against the side effects of radiation exposure and contains selenium.

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Reishi – boosts the immune system after radiation exposure

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Astragalus – supports thyroid functioning.

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Asparagus – another great source of glutathione,  known to assist in the reduction of heavy metals and other toxins from the body, including radiation.

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Selenium containing foods – like Brazil Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Fish (such as Halibut and Salmon) , Eggs, Mushrooms (button, crimini, shiitake), Grains (wheat germ, barley, brown rice, oats) and Onions help protect DNA from radiation damage.

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Sulphur containing foods - such as Fish, Eggs, Beans and Peas, Brussels Sprouts, Onions, Cabbage, Garlic, Wheat Germ have been found to protect the body against radiation.

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Professional Herbalist, Brigette Mars, has also drawn up a list of radioprotective herbs, some of which are featured here:

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“Aloe vera gel (Aloe vera) has been found to help heal radiation burns more quickly by its content of biogenic stimulators that encourage skin repair.

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Burdock root (Arctium lappa) helps to neutralize and remove toxins from the body. During the Industrial Revolution, burdock was recommended as medicine to help people cope with the increased pollution.

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Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) improves the function of our body’s organs elimination process. Consider how this plant has done a good job for itself adapting to environmental pollutants.

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Eleuthero herb (Eleutherococcus senticosus) can help alleviate fatigue, ameliorate symptoms from chemical and radiation exposure and lessen the effects of stress.

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Green and black tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) are antioxidant, immune stimulant, and contain radioprotective agents.

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Milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum) helps protect the body from chemical exposure, environmental illness and liver damage.

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Peppermint leaf (Mentha piperita) can reduce nausea from radiation exposure.

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Red clover blossom (Trifolium pratense) improves health in general, helping all the organs of elimination function more optimally.

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Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) improves the function of the kidneys, liver, lymphatic system, intestines and skin thus aiding the body’s natural cleansing process.”

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High pectin foods -  like carrots, sunflower seeds and apples have been shown to help keep pollutants from being assimilated. According to Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo.com:
“Whereas most of the focus has been on Radioiodine 131 which poses an immediate health risk for 16 days, Cesium 137 remains radiotoxic for 60 years and accumulates at the top of the food chain where we (humans) find ourselves precariously perched. Apple pectin was shown after Chernobyl to accelerate clearance of Cesium 137 from the bodies of children, and should be considered for humanitarian aid to the Japanese.”

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I hope this series has been helpful for those wanting natural, proactive and common-sense alternatives to the current crisis. However, I also hope that many of you will also be inspired to incorporate some of these health protocols into your daily, or weekly, routine to improve your general health and wellbeing, as well as to protect your body from the common everyday sources of radiation in our environment.

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Please post a comment mentioning the ideas you found most useful and which ones you will most likely utilize yourself and within your family.

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In my last few blog posts, I have gone over several protocols for natural radiation detoxification. You can read them here if you haven’t already: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

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Today I will talk about the last two protocols – Homeopathic remedies and Schuessler’s Bioplasma.

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Homeopathic remedies

There are many homeopathic remedies for acute radiation exposure and sickness – Radium Bromatum, Uranium Nitricum, Plutonium Nitricum, X-Ray – but these are beyond the scope of this article because they need to be chosen on the individual symptoms of each person who may have been in the immediate area and has had definite exposure. In that case, it would be wise to consult with a professional homeopath alongside any other treatment you are receiving. As a side note, Kalium Iodatum (Kali. Iod.) is the  homeopathic form of Potassium Iodide. Again, it is not necessary if you are not at genuine risk of exposure, but if you are, it may be an option for you.

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However, there are also several remedies that may help with more general symptoms, especially mental/emotional symptoms, that people around the world may be experiencing at this difficult time. Here are a few:

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Aconite napellus (Acon.): Aconite is the remedy for acute mental shock or fright. It is used when the person is agitated, restless, fearful and anxious (or even in a state of terror) and convinced they will die.

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Arsenicum (Ars.) : This remedy is for serious anxiety and fear which can deteriorate into panic attacks.  There is a fear of disease, particularly cancer, dying and extreme restlessness and irritability.

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Ignatia  (Ign.): This is one of the most common remedies for grief. Ignatia is used for rapidly changing moods with frequent weeping. The person may  display contradictory, unpredictable behavior,  involuntary sighing, sentimentality and homesickness.

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Schuessler’s Bioplasma

Another form of natural remedies similar to homeopathy are the Schuessler cell salts (sometimes referred to as tissue remedies), invented in 1873 by W.H. Schuessler MD.  These are commonly available in health food stores. They contain the dilute form of the minerals that are the building blocks necessary for healthy cell growth and replication. They are basically micro dose cell foods prepared by the homeopathic method.

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Dr. Schuessler found that when cells were deficient in these minerals,  an abnormal, unbalanced (diseased) condition was produced, so he developed these homeopathic substances to help the body heal itself.

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All 12 of the biochemic cell salts are included in Schuessler’s Bioplasma. Taking a daily dose of Bioplasma for a week or two in times of great stress, is a good general practice for helping strengthen the body and immune response.

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You can also use any of the individual cell salts separately. One, in particular, is recommended by Homeopath Miranda Castro for consideration if you are concerned about the effects of radiation exposure on the thyroid gland.

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Natrum muriaticum (Nat. Mur.): This biochemic cell salt will help protect and strengthen the thyroid and adrenals and can be taken twice daily.

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In the next post I will provide a brief summary along with a few added recommendations and thoughts.