Probiotics & the Flu
Anti-Bacterial Wipes
Natural Lice Products
Another dreaded issue that comes up every school year is lice. Just thinking about lice gives me the creepy crawlies! But it's a problem most of us have dealt with or will deal with at some point.
So, what are can you do to get rid of lice? One, be sure to wash all of the bedding, towels, clothes, hairbrushes, etc, to get rid of any lice that may be lurking. And, of course, use a lice treatment to get rid of the bugs and nits on your child. But beware the conventional lice treatments, whether over-the-counter or prescription! These are chemical pesticides that will be easily absorbed into your child's body. Plus, lice are becoming resistant to these chemicals! Here are a couple of articles we found regarding chemical lice treatments. They both mostly focus on the pesticide lindane (used in a prescription product. Sidenote: lindane has already been banned from agricultural use in the US and many other countries but is still allowed for lice treatments!), but the USA Today article also mentions the other commonly used chemicals. USA Today PANNA
Luckily, there are natural alternatives to these chemical treatments. Many people have success by coating the hair in olive oil and wrapping up in plastic to smother the lice. Also, we carry three lice products. Thursday's Plantation Zero Lice uses tea tree and other essential oils. Nit Kit uses olive oil and essential oils. Both of these also come with combs. The third product is Lice-B-Gone, which uses plant based enzymes. All three have provided good results.
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Vaccinations of children is a controversial subject. Many of us have decided vaccinations to be the right choice for our families while others have chosen to use preventative supplementation. We understand that whether or not you choose to vaccinate your children is a very personal decision. We firmly believe that being able to choose whether or not to vaccinate is our right.We recently read an article discussing reasons why one would choose not to vaccinate and would like to share it with you. We are not putting the whole article in our newsletter, but here are a few interesting tidbits from the article and the link in case you are interested in reading the rest.
Americans, who represent about 5 percent of the world's population, are the most highly vaccinated and drugged population on the planet. We consume nearly 40 percent of all pharmaceutical products sold. In 2009, doctors ordered 4 billion prescriptions for Americans, which is one big reason why annual health care costs are nearly $3 trillion dollars in the U.S.
Half of all Americans, including 25 percent of our children take one or more prescription drugs.
Today, our children are being given three times as many vaccinations as they got in the early 1980's. Three times as many vaccinations means three times as much profit for drug companies and doctors selling vaccines.
The base cost for a child to get every government recommended vaccine in a private pediatrician's office has increased from $80 per child in 1986 to a whopping $2200 per child in 2011, and that doesn't include physician office administration fees. The federal government now spends nearly $4 billion dollars per year to purchase vaccines for public health clinics, where half of America's children are vaccinated.
It is no surprise that vaccine development is one of the fastest growing sectors in the pharmaceutical industry. By 2013, Pharma will enjoy a $36 billion dollar vaccine market.
Read the full article here: Vaccines
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An Additional Vaccine Article
Just after we shared the other vaccine article with you, we were sent this one, which we thought we'd share as well. While the article is about a bill in California, we believe this to be something everyone should be aware of. NVI Advocacy
Again, we believe vaccinations to be a personal decision and hope not to offend anyone.
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Some Ideas About ADD
Many of our inventors and famous people, people who have made positive, amazing changes in our world, have been considered to have ADD. To the common person, these people seem to exhibit an unfocused behavior. In most cases their brains are traveling much faster than the rest of us; they're always wondering how something works, and touching, feeling and observing all that is around them at all times. Often they seem distracted, but you can ask them a question and they can usually answer.
Because of their brains' rapid activity level, they are often very testy is not fed enough protein and healthy oils. The best breakfast for them is high in protein. In fact, what you had for dinner is typically better for them than cereal. Avoid high carb breakfasts! These are designed to provide high amounts of energy, so it's not a good idea for those with ADD! Try a protein shake with an added healthy oil, or a meal high in protein and vegetables. Munching on nuts and seeds throughout the day is beneficial. Mineral rich foods, including vegetables, is also very important, so concentrate on getting 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day.
Want to really set off a person with ADD? Give them something with red dye. It seems to short out their neurotransmitters and cause a hyperactivity problem, really unfocusing the brain.
Improving parenting skills can also be beneficial. We need to work on the self-esteem of these children and encourage them to work with their minds and hands 
to invent and create. Most important is using a positive manner of words to correct behavior. For example, 'Ron, leave that alone' instead of 'don't touch that.' Children don't hear the first word spoken so they would have heard 'touch that.' Studies have found that it takes 7 positive statements to overcome 1 negative statment.
Hugging is also very important. It stimulates the thymus gland, creating a happier, healthier individual. Everybody needs at least 7 HUGS PER DAY!
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Did you know taking probiotics can help protect against the flu and other common illnesses? Check this out!
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/2/e172.abstract
Conclusion: Daily dietary probiotic supplementation for six months was a safe and effective was to reduce fever, rhinorrhea, and cough incidence and duration and antibiotic prescription incidence, as well as the number of missed school days attributable to illness, for children 3 to 5 years of age.
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Safe Anti-Bacterial Wipes!
Here's a tip: all essential oils are anti-bacterial! With just a little effort, you can use some great scents to make safe anti-bacterial hand sanitizers!
Wipes
Put the essential oils into 1 teaspoon of glycerin and add 1 ounce of water. Fold 30 heavy-duty paper towels into quarters and place into a quart freezer bag. Pour the liquid in and you have anti-bacterial wipes!
Roll-Ons
Put the essential oils into a 1/2 ounce roll-on bottle. Fill with massage oil. Massage in hands.
Spritzers
Put the essential oils into a 2 ounce spray bottle. Fill with distilled water. Spray on hands.
Here's one recipe that has an added benefit: it helps our brains focus! It's perfect for kids to have in their backpacks!
Study Buddy
9 drops pink grapefruit
4 drops pine
2 drops rosemary
If you're not interested in buying the whole bottle of essential oils, or if you just want to give it a try first, check out our mixing station by the rest of our body care products! We have two books full of essential oils, all of which you pay for by the drop.
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