Thursday, June 16, 2011

Make Your Own Playdough or Clay

Make Your Own Playdough or Clay

Make your own clay or playdough (instead of buying Playdoh). The recipes are safe enough for kids to put their hands in their mouths while playing. They are not healthy snacks, but they are safe to eat. Items made with each one can be allowed to air dry and then painted. Here are four recipes so kids can make decorations or just have fun.



Homemade Clay
  • 2 cups baking soda
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1-1/4 cups cold water
  • food coloring
In a saucepan, mix the baking soda with the cornstarch, then add the cold water. Add food coloring. Cook the mixture over a medium flame, stirring constantly. When the clay is the consistency of moist mashed potatoes, turn off the heat. Dump the clay onto a plate, and cover it with a damp cloth. When the clay is cool to the touch, it's ready to use. Store it in a Ziplock bag or a container in the refrigerator. After keeping the clay in the refrigerator, allow the clay to reach room temperature before using it.



Cook Your Own Playdough
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • food coloring
Mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a pot. Add the water, oil, and food coloring. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly. When the mixture forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn off the stove and let it cool. Take it out of the pot knead it several times. Store in a Ziplock bag or airtight container in the fridge.



No-Cook Playdough
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • food coloring
Mix the flour and salt. Slowly add the water, and knead to make smooth dough. Add the oil and food coloring and knead until the color is mixed in. No cooking is needed.


Smooth Homemade Clay
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 2 cups salt
  • 1-1/3 cups cold water
Put salt and 2/3 cup water into a pan and bring it to a boil. Add 2/3 cup of water to the cornstarch with 2/3 cup water and stir well. Add the salted water to this mixture and knead it into a clay. Store in a Ziplock bag or an airtight container in the refrigerator.

posted by Melissa  Hettick 

INFORMED CONSENT: I AM INFORMED, I DO NOT CONSENT!

By:  Sarah Isaac Darrel Peterson (Living with Common Sense on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 3:03pm)

Informed consent is the process by which a fully informed patient can participate in choices about her/his health care. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what happens to her/his body and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patient in her/his health care. You must give your voluntary, informed consent for treatment and for most medical tests and procedures. The legal term for failing to obtain informed consent before performing a test or procedure on a patient is called battery (a form of assault).

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Informed consent is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy:

You as the patient have the right to make decisions about your own health and medical conditions.

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The concept of Informed Consent has many different definitions and each one worded a bit different than the last. But the common thread though out them all are the following:

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1. Informing the patient of the nature of the treatment.

2. Informing the patient of possible alternatives to that treatment.

3. Informing the patient of potential risks and benefits of that treatment including a clear understanding of facts, implications, and future consequences of an action to be taken.

4. Consent must be voluntary.

5. That the patient should have an opportunity to ask questions to elicit a better understanding of the treatment or procedure, so that he or she can make an informed decision to proceed or to refuse a particular course of medical intervention.

6. That informed consent is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy: You as the patient have the right to make decisions about your own health and medical conditions.

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~How many times have parents been bullied or scared into making a decision for their families. Apply this to vaccines, fluoride, and toxins in our food and products. These things have been forced on us without our consent. Lets break this down and look at vaccines for an example, following the 6 points above that are considered to make up the concept of "Informed Consent".

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VACCINES:

1. We are NOT informed of the nature of this treatment.

We are TOLD we must vaccinate. Vaccinate because the diseases are scary, for the greater good of the community, because its the law, because our doc will refuse to see us if we don't and that we must vaccinate so our children can attend school.

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2. We are NOT informed of alternatives to treatment.

Alternatives such as eating healthy, building our immune system, taking supplements like vitamin. D, and introducing natural immunity.

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3. We are NOT informed of the risks of the vaccines.

We aren't told about the seriousness of vaccine reactions. We are not educated about the list of neurotoxic ingredients such as ALUMINUM, MERCURY, and FORMALDEHYDE, to name only a few, in the vaccines they are injecting into our bodies. Many healthcare professionals are not even aware of them themselves. We aren't educated about the VAERS database (www.vaers.org) listing all those that have been injured and the MILLIONS of dollars given to families for vaccine injury. (Take note only 1-10% of vaccine reactions are even reported...seehttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1995527181/one-more-girl-documentary andhttp://www.vaccineinjury.info/hepatitis-b.html) . We are NOT given facts, implications, and future consequences of the action of vaccinating. We are just told to TRUST our Doctors. Doctors that are not even aware of the ingredients in the vaccines that the U.S. has admitted are neurotoxins.

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4. Our consent IS NOT VOLUNTARY!

We are bullied, threatened, and scared into making a decision that our motherly instincts tell us is wrong. We are told our doc won't provide care for us if we don't' vaccinate, that our schools won't educate our kids if we don't vaccinate, and that we are harming those around us, that we love, if we don't vaccinate. There have even been situations where courts have demanded children be vaccinated, child abuse charges brought against families for not vaxing and the threat of children being taken from the home unless families vaccinate.

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5. We are NOT GIVEN the chance to ask questions and better understand the process of vaccinating.

NO! Instead we are then ridiculed for "questioning" our docs, people of knowledge and authority. We are belittled by them and get called extremists, selfish, difficult parents that are obviously NOT educated and are involved in conspiracy theories against the government. They do not give us the feeling that we have a choice. In fact it is IMPLIED that we WILL vaccinate because that is just what you do and because a person in a white lab coat who is focused on sick care, not health care...tells us to. The same docs that are benefiting financially from us getting the vaccines.

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6. We are NOT GIVEN patient autonomy.

We are not given the right to look at the information presented to us by the medical field, the right to a second opinion, the right to take as much time as needed to sufficiently educate ourselves by seeking out MANY different sources of knowledge before making an important decision about OUR OWN health.

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As you can see above with the example of vaccines, we are a far cry from truly having INFORMED CONSENT. Although, something we DO have control over is our voice and how we use it. . We are responsible for speaking up, asking questions, demand time to educate ourselves BEFORE being asked to make a decision about our and our families health. We are responsible for keeping our family safe. That is our job. Kids don't know to ask for the ingredients in a vaccines and how to research each and every ingredient for its possible side effects that can DAMAGE and DESTROY their life. Its like playing Russian roulette with their life and they have no say in it.

If I was taking a medication and left the bottle open and accessible to my child and my child ate that medications and died, I would be held responsible for neglect/abuse of my child let alone their death. If my child got a vaccine injected into their body, and an ingredient in that vaccine was a neurotoxin that I was not aware of,  and that child died.... I am not held accountable for their death. It would not be neglect or abuse. I would be called a responsible, loving parent that was trying to do what was best for her child.  NO! THIS IS WRONG!  THIS IS NEGLECT AND ABUSE! You, as a parent were neglectful. You did not watch out for the safety of your child and do your homework and research the substances that were being injected into your child. It is YOUR responsibility. We can no longer TRUST or BLAME the doctors for this. It is OUR responsibility to care for OUR family. PERIOD! WAKE UP and educate yourselves!

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Definitions of Informed Consent:

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Informed consent is a legal procedure to ensure that a patient or client knows all of the risks and costs involved in a treatment. The elements of informed consents include informing the client of the nature of the treatment, possible alternative treatments, and the potential risks and benefits of the treatment.


In order for informed consent to be considered valid, the client must be competent and the consent should be given voluntarily.




Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and future consequences of an action. In order to give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time consent is given. Impairments to reasoning and judgment which may make it impossible for someone to give informed consent include such factors as basic intellectual or emotional immaturity, high levels of stress such as PTSD or as severe mental retardation, severe mental illness, intoxication, severe sleep deprivation, Alzheimer's disease, or being in a coma.




Informed Consent

Informed consent is more than simply getting a patient to sign a written consent form. It is a process of communication between a patient and physician that results in the patient's authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention.


In the communications process, you, as the physician providing or performing the treatment and/or procedure (not a delegated representative), should disclose and discuss with your patient:


The patient's diagnosis, if known;

The nature and purpose of a proposed treatment or procedure;

The risks and benefits of a proposed treatment or procedure;

Alternatives (regardless of their cost or the extent to which the treatment options are covered by health insurance);

The risks and benefits of the alternative treatment or procedure; and

The risks and benefits of not receiving or undergoing a treatment or procedure.

In turn, your patient should have an opportunity to ask questions to elicit a better understanding of the treatment or procedure, so that he or she can make an informed decision to proceed or to refuse a particular course of medical intervention.



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Informed consent is the process by which a fully informed patient can participate in choices about her health care. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what happens to her body and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patient in her health care.



What Is Informed Consent?

Doctors will give you information about a particular treatment or test in order for you to decide whether or not you wish to undergo such treatment or test. This process of understanding the risks and benefits of treatment is known as informed consent. It is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy: You as the patient have the right to make decisions about your own health and medical conditions.


•You must give your voluntary, informed consent for treatment and for most medical tests and procedures. The legal term for failing to obtain informed consent before performing a test or procedure on a patient is called battery (a form of assault).




Saturday, June 11, 2011

xylitol instead of sugar???

From my memory banks...

Xylitol is known to:
  • Benefit diabetics in that it can actually reverses diabeties.  Xylitol can be used in place of sugar and all those nasty chemical based artificial sweeteners so the diabetic can enjoy the sweet flavor without worry of it effecting glycemic levels.
  • Benefits oral health - reduces insidence of cavities and helps to rebuild enamel.
  • Sweetens sweet treats as sugar does without the calories or the bad side effects of sugar... looks just like sugar, bakes like it, and tastes like it.  Use same quantity you would use of sugar in recipes.
  • Helps to adjust the alk/acid level of the mouth helping to keep your mouth happy. :D


As Xylitol can be derived from both the birch tree and corn cobs I feel it is a good choice to try to find the originally derived form which was discovered during WWII for Europeans that were not able to get sugar.  In this way you avoid GMO contamination.  However, the company below ~ Natures Sweet ~ claims they use non-gmo sourced corn cobs to create their xylitol.  
Smart Sweet is a 100% natually derived from birch form of xylitol [ http://www.globalsweet.com/c/XB.html?gclid=CJKbtJzlq6kCFUW8KgodokGrMA ] available at globalsweet.com .

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"Xylitol looks and tastes like table sugar, but it's a natural, low-calorie, low-carb substitute. Xylitol was discovered over 100 years ago and has been widely used for many decades. It can be used to sweeten foods and beverages or in cooking and baking (although it is not recommended for use in pastries or hard candy).Xylitol does not promote tooth decay as it helps prevent bacteria from adhering to teeth. It is safe for use by diabetics, children and pregnant women.
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a natural compound that looks and tastes just like sugar. Our bodies already digest the xylitol found in fruits, vegetables and other organic substances.  In fact, we produce about 15 grams of xylitol daily as part of normal metabolism.

Nature’s Sweet Life Xylitol is derived from non-genetically modified corn, making it completely natural. Xylitol has a safe track record; it has been used for over 40 years around the world and is approved in the U.S. for use in quantities needed to sweeten foods. Not only does xylitol offer great taste, but it contains 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates than regular table sugar.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar polyol commonly derived from corn stalks and birch trees. It is much like many other sugars, but with a significant difference -  the molecule contains only 5 carbon atoms rather than the 6 of most other sugars. This molecular difference is the key to xylitol’s beneficial qualities, both as a food ingredient and in both medical and dental applications.

Xylitol has all the sweetness of table sugar, yet has 40% fewer calories and 0g of sugar. Xylitol is an ideal alternative sweetener in foods prepared for weight loss or for anyone concerned about the overuse of sugar in their diet.

Benefits
• Supplies 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates than sugar.
• Is safe for diabetics, hypoglycemics, children and pregnant women.
• Replaces sugar in most recipes and is heat stable.

How It Works
The remarkable properties of xylitol stem from its unique molecular structure. Most sugar-like molecules have a six-carbon “hexose” unit. Xylitol is a five-carbon “pentitol” sugar. Because of its distinctive arrangement chemical structure inhibits the ability of our bodies to fully metabolize it as well. For this reason, xylitol has a limited effect on blood sugar levels. Its low glycemic index of 7 makes it a terrific solution for carb-counters as well as those trying to lose weight.

Diabetic Friendly
Xylitol is metabolized without insulin so it creates a significantly lower glycemic effect when eaten - a glycemic index of only 7. Good news for diabetics!

Dental Benefits
Xylitol inhibits the ability of bacteria to adhere to tissues in the mouth and cannot be metabolized by bacteria, thus drastically slowing the process that creates harmful, enamel-eating acids.  Unlike sugar, xylitol can be left on the teeth overnight. To obtain the maximum dental benefits of xylitol, use 4-12 grams each day.

Nature's Sunshine Advantage
Nature’s Sweet Life xylitol is extracted from nongenetically modified corn and is guaranteed 100% pure without any corn residue or gluten.  That means even those with corn allergies can use this product.

Recommended Use
Xylitol can be substituted for table sugar and other sweeteners without compromising taste or texture. Because xylitol does not ferment or crystallize, it cannot be used to replace table sugar in some bread and candy recipes. When cooking, replace sugar with xylitol in equal measurements. Xylitol is heat-stable for cooking and baking. It also mixes and dissolves just like common sugar.

Ingredients
100% granulated xylitol

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Teaspoon (4 g)
Servings per container: 113
Calories: 10
Total Fat: 0 g
Sodium: 0 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 4 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 0 g

Caution
This product and other products containing xylitol must not be given to pets. "

Lisa commented ~
 I didn't read the whole article, though I know a lot about xylitol. We don't run out of it in our house. It's low GI. In some studies I've read, it's proven that bacteria cannot survive in the same environment as xylitol, which makes it great for colds and such. I use it instead of saline solution for a nose rinse. Also a study showed, applying it after brushing your teeth kept bacteria at bay during the night. I have allowed my children to eat it by the teaspoon in order to curve the occasional sugar craving. It is terrific in baking!

When and What to start feeding baby???

When and What to start feeding baby??? 

This seems to be a burning question lately.  It has been posed a few times in the short time that I re-started this group and my short stint in the previous one by the same name.

So, instead of re-iterating again and again in the comments I figured I should start a document about this topic.  I encourage everyone to contribute their methods for starting, why, and how it works out for them.

Our first child was born in a town near Orlando, FL in 1996.  We had a wonderful pediatrician whose wife also worked in his office with him as his nurse practitioner (on a part time basis as they had, I think it was, 7 children at that time [I thought that was a lot of kids… we have 5 now and it doesn’t seem like that anymore… lol]).  She also helped out as a breast feeding consultant with his patients as she had plenty of experience with it.

When our son was 4 months old we dutifully took him to his check up.  At this visit the Dr. asked me if he had started showing signs of being interested in our food… I was curious… how would he show this? 

Dr. said that he would start reaching for the food on our plates… when he did this he would be ready (digestive system wise even) to start taking solids, but not before then.  He told us that baby would start reaching for the food on our plates between 4 and 6 mos of age and at that time we should consider putting on a tray in front of him food that was small enough and could dissolve within 30 seconds in his mouth.  He said bananas, avocadoes, and eventually whole oat organic O’s (NOT Cheerios brand as they have a coating on them that wouldn’t let them dissolve fast enough) could fit that criteria.  Just start with those and gradually increase the variety and dissolvability rate making sure that what you give is not going to be a choking hazard.  So, obviously not grapes right off the bat ~ lol.  Puffed rice cereal is also an option for snacking on.  Anything that baby can pick up and put in his/her own mouth and will dissolve in 30 seconds or less.

Now, you have to remember… this is a self feeding type of thing… not much ‘food’ is needed – they don’t really get all that much ‘food’ out of it.  It is more an exercise in self feeding and dexterity that they get out of it.  This frees you up to eat as baby ‘feeds’ him/herself and you are obviously the primary food for baby as far as breast feeding is concerned.  He also told us that this gently gives way to being able to use a fork/spoon over the next few months, as the amount of food they get in them increases, and translates into being able to color and write nicely sooner.  

-Wendy
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I would just add that foods in there most natural state as possible, is where you want to start. I have mashed/pureed for my LOs and then gradually did it thicker until no longer needed. The foods most loved in our house to start were banana, sweet potato, carrots, homemade applesauce and peas, then I would mix in other less desirable ones like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans. I steam until soft and then usually just mash with a fork. I also start meat a little earlier than some might recommend but I would just chop it fine and stir it in to a veggie they liked to help get more iron, because I did not want it to be an issue, about 9 months or so. Following baby's cues to start and that can be as late as 9-12 months for some. Some of them are sitting up with only minimal assistants, no more tongue thrust, ie: pushing things back out with the tongue, unsatisfied with increased nursing, and also an interest in food! Things to wait to introduce until late in the fist year or into the second year are berries, egg white, fluid dairy ie: milk and nut butters as these tend to be high sensitivity foods that are the most likely sources of allergies in young ones.

-Melissa G

Why vaccination is NOT Immunization

Here's something our very own Darlene put together recently in reply to the pro-vaccine crowd asking about "all the good vaccines have done".


In order to for me to vaccinate my children, I would have to....(6 points)


1. Believe that vaccines are 100% effective, yet the CDC acknowledges they are not.

-- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep;53(18):389-92-- 2004- 5-14

In Michigan in 2003 there was a chicken pox outbreak. Vaccination was verified for 485 students, resulting in a vaccination coverage of 95.7% (485 out of 507).


According to the CDC in 1999, rotavirus was causing 20 to 40 infant deaths annually in the US when the first rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield, was introduced. It was estimated that about 50,000 hospitalizations occurred in the US because of severe diarrhea and dehydration. Today, even though almost all US infants receive vaccines for rotavirus, and despite efforts to improve the management of childhood rotavirus-associated diarrhea, hospitalizations of children in the U.S. with the disease have not significantly declined in the past two decades: the CDC says rotavirus infection is still responsible for an estimated 400,000 doctor visits; more than 200,000 emergency room visits; and 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations in the US.

A case-control study has shown that 41 percent of meningitis occurred in children vaccinated against the disease. The vaccine's protective efficacy was minus 58 percent. This means that children are much more likely to get the disease if they are vaccinated. ~ JAMA, 1988, Osterholm et al., 260: 1423-1428

2. Believe vaccines do not contribute to the spread of these illnesses, yet the CDC acknowledges that they do.

Vaccinated adolescents and adults may serve as reservoirs for silent infection and become potential transmitters to unprotected infants (3-11). The whole-cell vaccine for pertussis is protective only against clinical disease, not against infection (15-17). Therefore, even young, recently vaccinated children may serve as reservoirs and potential transmitters of infection.

3. Believe that vaccines are 100% safe and do not cause encephalopathy, autism, and other complications, yet the US Vaccine Injury Compensation Court has paid out BILLIONS of dollars to families with vaccine-injured children.

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program:


-- Vaccines can cause death in Immunocompromised Individuals
"The administration of vaccines presents a problem in children with immune defects...No live virus vaccines should be given since there is a risk of causing disseminated infection that may be fatal. Even with killed virus vaccines, the patient will not make antibodies in response to the injection."

Essential Pediatric Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology ~ Raoul L. Wolf, pp. 159

4. Believe that vaccines are produced for the improvement of our health, yet the manufacturers are SO concerned about our health, that they include this disclaimer on every vaccine package insert, "_________ has not been evaluated for its carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or its potential to impair fertility."http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm101580.pdf(page 6/13)

They also use pesticides, components of antifreeze, excitotoxins, known endocrine disruptors, and formaldehyde - why? If our children drank these components, we would call poison control.http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-1.pdf

5. Believe that these infectious illnesses - each and every one for which there is a vaccine - are highly contagious, deadly unless vaccinated against, with no effective natural remedies, and that permanent immunity is inferior to vaccine-induced inflammatory responses. If that were the case, the human race wouldn't have made it this far. You and I would not be here because previous generations would have died out. Knowledge is power.

A chance my child could have convulsions after the DTaP vaccine? 1 in 1750, per the package insert. A chance my child could die from pertussis? 1 in several million.

6. Believe that pharmaceutical companies, the CDC and the FDA truly have our best interests at heart.

The FDA’s Role in Bad Medicine
i. Johnson & Johnson “cozy” relationship with FDAhttp://www.seattlepi.com/health/1500ap_us_jj_recalls_congress.html




v. Menaflex Knee Implant Approval (admitted undue influence from Congress)-http://documents.nytimes.com/f-d-a-review-of-the-regen-menaflex-device#p=1


vii. The FDA approves a non-existent product from a fictitious company http://gaia-health.com/articles351/000378-system-sting.shtml