Our incredible body

Some interesting facts on breast milk were recently discovered:

The complex sugars were long thought to have no biological significance, even though they constitute up to 21 percent of milk. Besides promoting growth of the bifido strain, they also serve as decoys for noxious bacteria that might attack the infant’s intestines. The sugars are very similar to those found on the surface of human cells, and are constructed in the breast by the same enzymes. Many toxic bacteria and viruses bind to human cells by docking with the surface sugars. But they will bind to the complex sugars in milk instead. “We think mothers have evolved to let this stuff flush through the infant,” Dr. Mills said.

Emphasis is mine.

Very cool! I look forward to reading about the thousands (millions?) of other benefits in breast milk.

Go here and read the rest.

A list of books I have recently read

The Vitamin D Solution by Michael F. Holick
*Very important information on the hormone that we all lack.

No Wonder My Parents Drank by Jay Mohr
*Very funny and surprisingly touching and inspiring.

I Will Carry You by Angie Smith
*A sad and touching book about the loss of a child. Wonderfully written.

How Do You Tuck in a Superhero by Rachel Balducci
*A fun read about a family with 5 boys.

Stay Home, Stay Happy by Rachel Campos-Duffy
*Wonderful book about the ups and downs of staying home with the kids.

Squats - a great exercise you can do anytime

For you mamas out there, here is a good post about the health of your pelvis. Do squats, not kegels.

For everyone, here and here are good.

For movement in general, check out a young kid. Chances are they are moving correctly.

Dental Health

I finished reading Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel a few days ago. It discusses the reasoning behind tooth decay and how mainstream dentistry has it wrong. Or is at least misguided.

His basic take on tooth decay is that it is caused by lack of nutrition in the body. Basic nutrients (like phosphorus, calcium and magnesium) are limited or unavailable from the diet so the body takes them from bones (teeth) or wherever it can. He rejects that tooth decay is solely due to bacteria in the mouth. Instead the teeth reflect the health of the rest of the body.

So with this thought the way to cure (or prevent!) tooth decay is with a proper diet. What does this include? Fresh organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, free-range eggs, whole raw dairy products and limited consumption of organic fruits and soaked/sprouted nuts, seeds, and grains. Very similar to a primal way of life.

This is a MUST read for everyone, particularly parents with young children, and especially parents with children already showing signs of tooth decay.

Additional information about Nagel and his book can be found here.

Slavery and death

What a title to follow.

One of my favorite movies of all time is 300. This particular scene is one of the most breath-taking and inspiring moments of the film. King Leonidas knows that his next actions will leave him and his country two options: submission/slavery or death. He chooses death (after seeking his Queens approval which I will get into later as he did not have to do this).

So why death? Freedom. Simple as that. We Americans should know this inside and out. We are a free country after all. Sadly, not a lot of us truly know what freedom means. Freedom is more than capitalism (the cardiovascular system of our economy), more than speech, more than religion, more than assembly, more than every other aspect of the constitution. It's all of these things combined at once and it even goes beyond that. It is respect and responsibility. It is also blood, war, and death.

Now, I will never (probably) know the extent of what freedom is because I will never (probably) be as intimate with blood, war, and death as our courageous soldiers, airmen and marines are every day of their lives. I do know that this aspect of freedom will never be completely avoided.

We are a unique country in that we have had freedoms without constant internal war for a very, very, very long time.

We are not unique in that we are forgetting how we got here.

Consequences of passing a bill that was not read

I want to say 'serves them right' but I would rather that they pass bills that have actually been read and thoroughly proofed. Oh, and don't pass bills that take away our freedoms...on third thought, just stop passing them. We'd be better off.

According to a Hot Air post Congress may have stripped themselves of their own health insurance with the recent passage of the "healthcare reform" bill.

The NYT (of all people) sums it up quite nicely:

“If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?”

I would say NO.

The world IS a safer place

Today marks seven years since the fall of Baghdad. Thank you George W. Bush.

Interesting collection of headlines from the day can be found here.

Jubilant Iraqis greeted US troops with cheers, victory signs, and flowers. Weeping Iraqi elders kissed grinning US soldiers. A few Iraqi men, apparently caught up in the moment, rushed into the street clad only in underwear to greet passing US troops.

There is much that the MSM wants us to forget. Don't.

Abandoning your responsibilities means abandoning your freedom

Another exceptional video by Bill Whittle.

Find a Tax Day Tea Party near you and take a few friends.

Now is the time to act.

Rejoice!

He is risen!

Matt 28:6

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

1 Corinthians 15:12-21

12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

Neal McDonough

If I watched TV I would follow this actor.

He's a family man and a Catholic, and he's always made it clear that he won't do sex scenes. ... "It has cost him jobs, but the man is sticking to his principles," a source explained to me.

Good for him!

Breastfeeding during the toddler years

I have posted about breastfeeding in the past. It's a passion of mine and I will post again and again on it, particularly when I read something that makes me clap my hands and yell, "Yes, someone gets it!"

Since last summer I have been thoroughly researching what food is best to eat. Recently I have made a commitment to eating Primal (80/20 rule). The following is from Mark Sisson:

Milk with fatty acids for brain development, antibodies for immune system support and high nutrient and fat content resulted in healthy babies who would more likely survive the challenges of Grok’s day. If the milk could change as the child aged to better meet his/her needs over time, that child would have an even better chance of making it to adulthood. And, as we know, these characteristics in breastmilk were exactly what evolution favored and selected for over time.

Because it took two years for babies and young toddlers to develop teeth adequate to chew much of the food available in Grok’s day, they were dependent on their mothers’ milk. (There were, of course, no Cuisinart processors or food mills in Paleolithic times – and little time to bother with elaborate food preparation anyway.) Children transitioned to solids at a slow and gradual rate and took milk from their mothers throughout the toddler years.

I love it! This is what needs to be expressed to parents, pediatricians and every person who eventually wants kids.

There are, of course, more than nutritional reasons to continue breastfeeding into the toddler years. I have found that it helps immensely to calm/relax Rooster prior to naps/bedtime, after getting hurt, or anytime he becomes extremely upset (more frequent nowadays when he exerts his independence). It has helped with teething, both as a comfort for pain as well as a supplement for nutrition. Rooster often did not want to eat anything solid. As long as he was nursing I did not have to worry about meeting his nutritional needs with solid foods for a few days at a time. Last, but certainly not least, emotions are running high for Rooster right now and nursing helps him feel secure, safe, and connected to another human being (his mama!). He's learning so much right now that I am confident nursing is a need of his while making so many developmental transitions.

A picture says a thousand words

Very telling.

Prohibition's dark side

I had never heard about the U.S. government's role in poisoning people during prohibition until reading this article.

Officially, the special denaturing program ended only once the 18th Amendment was repealed in December 1933. But the chemist's war itself faded away before then. Slowly, government officials quit talking about it. And when Prohibition ended and good grain whiskey reappeared, it was almost as if the craziness of Prohibition—and the poisonous measures taken to enforce it—had never quite happened.

Interesting how some things seem to get swept under the rug.

Laughing himself right outta office

Buh-bye, Mr. Bennet. So long, farewell. Don't let the door hit you in the butt.

For the record, it's not funny.

Kids and talking - updated

I'm a rather quiet person but have made it a point to talk to and with my son as often as possible; sometimes to the point of sounding silly to myself. But I know this is good for him as he learns how to communicate, speak and identify the world around him.

I came across an article titled Children reaching age 3 without being able to say a word, survey finds with concern. After reading it I found a disturbing sentence within it:

The survey of more than 1,000 parents found that a child’s background was not a factor in how quickly they learnt to talk. Working parents who put their babies in day care are just as likely to have a child whose speech develops late
as those who leave their baby in front of the television.

LOL. Those are the only two choices? Really? All this time as a housewife and mom I have been interacting with Rooster by talking with him, playing games, reading, rough-housing, following him around the house as he does laps, etc. and I could have instead just plopped him down in front of the TV.

Those silly Brits.

Update: A fellow Dr. Laura reader/listener notices the same.

original post 01/03/10 at 7:40 pm

Resolutions

They can be fun. Back in 2006 and 2007 my New Year's resolutions were to try a new wine every month. I know I hit it in 2006...most likely 2007 was a success as well. I don't think I made one in 2008. Last year I resolved to cut out processed foods and am glad to report it has stuck.

This year I resolve to be more primal. Thanks to Mark Sisson and his website and book I have a lot of information and guidance to be successful.

In a nutshell I aim for these goals:

1. No grains/sugar/legumes
2. More long walks
3. Increase weight lifting and body weight workouts
4. Play more!

I love the last goal and Rooster will definitely appreciate that one :)

I will be posting primal recipes and other information at my other blog soon. See you there!

We are going to whip these people out of their boots!

A new beginning.

A must watch...in fact, watch it several times!