Sugar Addiction

Very interesting post on what refined sugar does to our brain function and how it alters our appetite.

9 iPhone Apps for Surviving the Breakdown of Society

Of course things could change at any moment at any point in history. Pompei wasn't expecting the volcano. The South Pacific wasn't expecting the tsunami. Hiroshima wasn't expecting the bomb. Pearl Harbor wasn't expecting the air raid. But now, with the political and social unrest everywhere, a Marxist in office, and Biblical prophecy quickly unfolding, it only makes sense to prepare our families

9 iPhone Apps for Surviving the Breakdown of Society

This is assuming, of course, that we have electricity, but these apps do not run off internet connectivity, so they might be useful in the event of something that brings down the phone towers.

Kitchen Cupboard Medicine

I wanted to share this great resource for natural treatments of many common ailments.

Kitchen Cupboard Medicine

Line up, sheeple!

It's that time of year again....flu shots for everybody! No matter your age, health condition, or medical history, and no matter what is contained in the ingredients, "they" insist that you need it. ("They" would be the Pharmacy Industry that gets rich off fear mongering and getting you to take medicines that cause you to need more of their medicines....um....there might be a conflict of interest there!)

"Thimerasol-containing vaccines are considered hazardous waste and can't be thrown into a garbage can, poured down a sink or flushed down a toilet because of the mercury—they're considered environmentally toxic....... Why would anyone.....want to be injected with a substance that is too toxic to dispose of down a drain?"

Click here to read the entire article by Dr. Mercola called "New Proof That This Common Medical Treatment is Unnecessary and Ineffective". Please do your homework before jumping on the bandwagon!

The Break-Up

This is hilarious, but good news. I've seen this among my own family and FB friends as well. I'm thankful some eyes are being opened, but I just hope it isn't too late!

All Pilled Up

A friend posted this on her Facebook. If only people would realize that Pharmacy is a business! A huge, largely crooked business, full of executives who wouldn't take their own medicines, and "regulators" with padded pockets. It's time to take charge of your own health care, change your diet and exercise, stop eating from the frozen section and fast food, and get back to nature! If ObamaCare is our best hope, we are going to be hurting.

Study Confirms Link Between Autism and Use of Cells From Abortions in Vaccines

Wow, what a frightening and interesting article. The links provided in this article are the original sources for this hypothesis, including the original study conducted by the EPA. This is certainly something I'm going to follow.

Study Confirms Link Between Autism and Use of Cells From Abortions in Vaccines

(Just f.y.i., the 2 vaccinations that contain aborted fetal tissue cell lines are the MMR and the chicken pox vaccine.)

Eye on the Flu Shot

Stocking up on our Vitamin D!

There's no better vaccination against the Swine Flu (and a host of other ailments) than God's gracious provision of vitamin D through His beautiful sunshine. We decided to take advantage of it by pulling out some science kits and heading OUTSIDE for lessons today. Seth and Bub enjoyed putting together this dinosaur gears kit that we've had for years. It's always a winner, at least after I assemble it. I never could get Caleb to care about putting it together, but it was right up Seth's alley! He had it figured out in no time, and was telling me where parts went! I love being a teacher!

Never Let a Serious Crisis Go To Waste

Please take time to check out the website below for some TRUTH and REASON in this whole swine flu hoopla. Don't get all your information from the national media, which sadly has become the 4th branch of our government. Be informed!

Dr. Mercola's Swine Flu Website

I've long feared that this"emergency" would be the door for this oppressive adminsitration to declare a police state in our once free nation. Once that happens, there's no turning back. I feared it would either be this swine flu nonsense, or else a terrorist attack, which Obama has literally begged for by his shameful criticism of our nation abroad and by his feminization and cuts in the military. Whatever the crisis may be (swine flu, terror attack, or some other drama), rest assured that his hand will come down heavy in every area of our lives. And, like his freakish Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has said....

"NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE"

Stand up for your right to refuse the toxic swine flu shot!

And don't forget to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and probiotics.

Swine Flu

We are fast becoming a police state, and this swine flu vaccine hype is just one example of it. This is really scary. Take a moment to read this article from World Net Daily, and watch the short clip embedded in the article. The article exposes all the military style provisions being put into place to force vaccinations and quarantines, and the video tells how the medical elite will not even be partaking of the vaccine they will force on others, because they know it isn't safe.

Cops jump on swine-flu power: Shots heard 'round the world'

Remember, tyrants love a crisis; in fact, they must have crises so they can come in and save the day and restore order......at the expense of YOUR FREEDOM! They invent crises just for this purpose.

Do you think I'm taking a souped-up concoction that hasn't been thoroughly tested, that's been hastily ordered up by environmental wacko czars who believe in population control and forced sterilization, and a "president" who believes the best way to cut health care costs is to eliminate the patients? COUNT ME OUT!

If you really want to educate yourself and filter through all the hype, this video below provides a wonderfully balanced view from medical professionals. It's worth your time!


Watch CBS Videos Online

And don't forget that God gave YOU sense enough to take your own precautions and draw your own conclusions based on your own research and study. As for me and my family, we try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet that would prepare our bodies to endure the flu and other communicable diseases. Here are some of my best suggestions: (I'm not going to list all the WHYs, just do your own research if you're not sure! Your brain is the same size as your doctor's!)

1. We all take probiotics and vitamin c daily.
2. We never walk in the door from any trip that we don't all immediately go and wash our hands with soap (NOT antibacterial!)
3. No soft drinks, or high fructose corn syrup as much as we can avoid it.
4. Sunshine! Not only does it kill germs, it is the best source of immune-boosting vitamin D.
5. Avoid doctor's offices and hospitals as much as possible. There's no better place to catch swine flu.

And I've just stocked up my winter medicine cabinet with the following: grapefruit seed extract (pills and liquid concentrate), zinc, extra vitamin c including emergen-c packets, garlic capsules and fresh cloves, colloidal silver, and eucalyptus oil.

I'm so thankful for doctors. Truly, I am. But clearly, thanks to government intervention (medicaid, medicare, peachcare, etc., etc.) and insurance corruption, it is easy to get lost in the beaurocracy of unnecessary tests and procedures and prescriptions...and end up worse off than when you arrived! Taking charge of your own health is the smart, and healthy, and fiscally responsible thing to do in these troubled times.

Pandemic?

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed;

if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. "

Mark Twain

(Check out the link!)

BTW, Dr. Mercola has had so many hits already on this article, just posted today, that it is apparently getting locked up frequently. If you can't read it now, make a note to check back later. It is an excellent article from a doctor who isn't sold out to the pharmaceutical companies, and it gives a great perspective on vaccinations and this "pandemic" that has literally killed fewer people than random strikes of lightning.

Important Info for Parents

Check out this link. Be sure and read Dr. Mercola's comments at the bottom.

HPV Vaccine Blamed for Teen's Paralysis

It's scary to me how willing people are to suffer and even die, all in the name of "prevention" and "what's good for the people". If you really want to have your eyes opened to this topic, find and purchase your own copy of Francis Schaeffer's "How Should We Then Live?" series. I have the videos, but it is now available on DVD (try Christianbook.com). He predicted, back in the late 1970s, that the government elite would try to control the people through drugs; and that the people would willingly submit to it, having exchanged their personal liberty for the good of society. (wow, sounds like the Patriot Act, doesn't it?)

On the same note, I was reading Dr. Henry Morris's notes on Revelation, and learned something very interesting. In Rev. 9:21, speaking of the judgment of God upon mankind, and how man still would not repent, it says, "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." He pointed out that the word sorceries is the Greek word "pharmakeia", which means "medication", from which we get our word "pharmacy". I studied this out in my Key Word Study Bible. It certainly is a sign of our times when pharmaceutical companies rule the world, and most people consume a steady diet of mind-altering medications just to make it through the week. No wonder our consciences are numb and dull! Satan wouldn't have it any other way!

Freedom

It's true that I've got a lot on my mind right now, with Baby Day arriving soon, but I'm not too pre-occupied to get on my soapbox when I read articles like the ones below. If you're a true American patriot, you can't afford not to read these 2 articles.

Vitamin C About to be Made Illegal in Canada (please be sure and read Dr. Mercola's comments at the end of this article!)

Canadian Court Overturns Punishment for Grounded Girl

In light of our international leanings, and also of what prospectively lies ahead for us this January at the Presidential Inauguration, I will console my flag-waving, American heart by looking back at one of our greatest Presidents. Read and enjoy these quotes from President Ronald Reagan:

"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves. "

"To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will. "

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. "

"No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! "

Go ahead, Americans! Vote for a President who's willing to grant amnesty to 20 million illegal aliens. Learn Spanish and hire cheap labor. Make your businesses bilingual. Enroll your children in government subsidized insurance. Enroll them in government schools and allow them to be trained to serve the state. Sign up for all those "free" government programs and grants. Take those "free" food stamps when times get tough. Calls DFACS instead of your pastor when you see a family in need. Run to Washington and have a new law passed every time you get offended. File a tax return for your local church assembly...or better yet, have it declared a 501(c)(3) government entity. By doing these things, "we the people" are forfeiting our right of self-government, trampling over the blood, sweat, and tears shed by the Pilgrims, and our Revolutionary forefathers. It's a little scary to read these next prophetic words from President Reagan, spoken years before our nation caved in and signed NAFTA , opening ourselves up to the kind of ridiculous government intervention mentioned in the 2 articles above.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. "

--President Ronald Reagan

How Tara Got Her Groove Back

Wow, do I feel better! It's true that I'm 8 months pregnant, can't take a deep breath, don't sleep more than 30 minutes at a time, take about 48 potty breaks per day, and I have definitely painted my own toenails for the last time for several weeks...but thanks be to the Lord, I finally have some of my energy back.

These past 2 weeks have been horrible. I have felt like I had a load of bricks tied to my ankles. It is so frustrating to have so many things that you want and need to do, but no strength to do them. Evidently, my main problem has been a severe iron deficiency. I found from my own research that there are 3 types of iron deficiencies, and mine could not be corrected with an iron pill alone. I am writing this, not because I enjoy complaining (I rarely share my maladies), but to prove, once again, the importance of not totally relying on doctors for your medical care.

Iron supplements make me sick, so it took several weeks to find something I could take. And I also discovered that I needed extra B-12 and folic acid to aid in the absorption, since the type of deficiency I suffered from comes from altered digestion during pregnancy. Had I settled for the doctors' final word, I would still be lying on the couch, helpless. Instead, this has been my plan for the past week: Supermom vitamins in the morning, Folic Acid at lunchtime, Emergen-C (1000 mg of Vit C in fizzy drink form, available from Wal-Mart) in the afternoon when I always need a "pick-me-up", Spirulina tablets along with supper, and prescription Repliva iron tablets at bedtime. After a week of this regimen, I feel like my real self again.

There was a time in my life, when for me to have been out of commission as I've been, that my house and family would have been turned completely upside down. However, with my fourth pregnancy, I saw a dire need to put my family on a functioning schedule. This week, again, proved how helpful that schedule has been to our lives. One of the best resources I've ever found for my schedule is Titus2.com , mainly the book "Managers of Their Homes". I'm not near as rigid as Mrs. Maxwell is with her schedule, but that book taught me so much about the value of multi-tasking, families working together, siblings helping each other, teaching younger children to entertain themselves, expecting more out of children, the folly of being a slave to a child's every whim, and children following tasks without being told. (Famous saying around here, "This chart is my voice.") We've been doing this since 2004, and we are not slave to it, and it changes every year as our family changes. We kind of look at it as Jesus said of man and the Sabbath, that the family was not made for the schedule, but the schedule for the family. Although I've not been able to even stand for more than a few minutes at a time, the laundry is still done (all except MY folding!), and we've not missed one single day of school lessons....all because my children are trained to follow the schedule. It has made the difference between a chaotic miserable house full of lazy, shiftless children and an over-worked, exhausted, resentful mother....and a functioning family who enjoys life. I thank the Lord for putting me on this path.

Sometimes we thank the Lord for our health, assuming that we are not taking our blessings for granted. But the Lord has shown me these past few days that each morning I get up and make out a "to do" list, I am taking it for granted that I will have the stamina and opportunity to complete that day. My prayer is like that of Moses:

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Important Info for Parents

GA Girl Helps Link Autism to Childhood Vaccines Atlanta Journal-Constitution (also, read the comments posted by readers at the end of this article!)

Unbelievably, the U.S. government has finally been backed into a corner and forced to admit a link between mercury in the vaccine preservative thimerosal, and autism. As noted in this article, thimerosal is still used in flu shots, now being shoved down the throat of every parent of any child age 2-18 by most pediatricians.

It's worth noting here, also, that there's just something even more alarming about vaccinations, particularly the MMR, that goes beyond just the thimerosal. For tons of information and helpful links about vaccines, I have learned a lot from Dr. Mercola's website.

God's Provision through Nature

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT JASON SAID MY BLOG WAS BORING?

Okay, so maybe he's right this week. But could I have a little mercy, being that we've been battling a cold, sinus infections, and pink eye (yes, pink eye) since last Wednesday? If you know me at all, you know that the only way you are going to get me to the doctor's office for these types of illnesses, is tied up kicking and screaming or by ambulance. Thankfully, that hasn't happened, so I want to share a little of the natural remedies that we've used this week.

So as to not repeat myself, I'll refer you to my previous post on garlic for the healing properties of this natural wonder. Today, I'll focus on 2 other options: grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver.

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is used daily at our house, if for nothing else than to spray our chicken eggs as we bring them in from the hen house (5 drops/ounce of water, kept in a large spray bottle). We use this bottle to clean wounds, disinfect cutting boards, sterilize medicine dispensers, general cleaning...the possibilities are endless. I use Nutribiotic brand drops, which is very economical as one small bottle (around $12) will last even a large family for about a year.

As for illnesses, I normally don't use GSE for viral infections, although it can be effective. For these, I use garlic. But if I suspect that an infection has developed (mine and Jason's colds both developed into sinus infections), then I continue with the garlic and add the GSE. Jason and I take the tablets, and the children take 3 drops GSE diluted in about 1 Tbsp. filtered water or juice (given in a medicine cup) at all 3 meals plus bedtime. Along with each dose, a chewable Vit. C tablet is given as well. When 1 child is sick, the whole crew gets the same treatment. I have found this amazingly effective for prevention. For example, Jason got sick, then Sis, then me. As soon as Sis began feeling bad, I started everyone on these immune boosters, and so far the boys have been spared. (If you live at home all day with a house full of loving, wrestling, kissing, sharing kids, you know that this is quite an accomplishment!)

Colloidal silver is another great remedy to have on hand. For good reasons, I only buy name brand CS (Sovereign Silver), which is very expensive, so it is not very practical for a large family as a treatment for daily illnesses, although it is very effective. But for specific infections, such as pink eye or a throat infection, CS is wonderful. Now, I, nor any of my children, have never had pink eye, so this was new to me. I did some research, and discovered that the name "pink eye" covers a wide variety of eye infections, or conjunctivitis. It is possible to catch it from your own cold, which is what I suspect happened with Sis. (For example, rubbing your nose then rubbing your eyes.) After battling a cold for 2 days, her eye suddenly got really bad, really fast. I immediately started warm compresses and CS drops in her eye, and HAND WASHING! I wiped down the light switches, mouse & keyboard, doorknobs, toilet flusher handle, remote control, faucet handles..everything with rubbing alcohol, and I sprayed toothbrushes with the GSE mixture. I gave Sis (and the boys) GSE and Vit C by mouth, and did the eye drops about 4 times/day. She got sick Friday evening, and was well enough to go to church by Sunday. (Dr. Mom, however, woke up at 5:00 Sunday morning with one eye glued shut!) And as a precaution as well as a courtesy to our church, everyone washed their hands on the way out the door to church (I, of course, could not go.) I also washed everyone's pillowcases in hot water with detergent and GSE each day there was pink eye in the house.

In addition to these natural remedies, we also used eucalyptus oil, and salt water gargle and salt water nose spray/wash. Obviously, life has not been as boring as my blog around here. It takes more work to use God's natural resources than to go the doctor and get a quick prescription which works more quickly, but is worse for you in the long run. This post is meant to focus on the "how", and someday I'm going to post more on the "why" of natural remedies. I'm sure you've all heard about the scary MRSA superbug in the news, and I'll share a little about our family's 3 year struggle with this plague. As horrible as it was, it was the Lord's way of putting our family on the road to better health. Someday, your life may depend on the strength of a pharmaceutical antibiotic, so it is wise to NOT build up your body's resistance to antibiotics for treatable illnesses like strep throat and the ones described in this post, and instead to build up your immune system with natural immune boosters like garlic, GSE, and Vitamin C.

And remember 2 things: The reason that natural remedies don't work for most people is that they aren't used consistently enough, in high enough doses, and for a long enough period of time.

Disclosure: I am obviously not a doctor, and don't claim to have medical expertise. This is meant only to be taken as shared experiences from an informed mother who is very thankful for doctors and medical technology, but who is not afraid to trust her God-given instincts in caring for her own family.

The Stinking Rose (and other miracles)

This post is dedicated to Greg R. and Scott W.

"I know how happy your are, that your wives are my best friends"

and to my own Jason,

who by first-hand experience has become an unwilling believer in "the stinking rose"

My family has always been fairly healthy, for which I am thankful. However, as I look back, I spent a lot of time during the baby and toddler years of my first 2 children, at the pediatrician's office. Just minor stuff, but I never would make a diagnosis or treat anything, without that "expert" advice. Most of the time, I loaded my sick little ones up, drove the 30-45 minutes to the office, waited for hours, exposed them to many more germs, had a 5 minute consultation, was told "Give them Tylenol and call if it gets worse", and went back home to nurse them. What did I have? A wasted day, a doctor bill, and still a lot of questions about how to care for my baby.

All that changed for me when I discovered nature's most powerful antibiotic, GARLIC! Our only trips to the pediatrician in the past 2 years have been for a fire injury, and an ear-wax buildup (which I could probably handle myself now). It's such a blessing to be able to take charge of my family's health, and save us valuable time and money. I'm very thankful for doctors when needed, but I don't want my family to get lost in the modern-day web of insurance and money and politics and bureaucracy that often harms, more than it helps, patients.

More than a week ago, my Bubbie got very sick, very quickly. For several reasons, I can say with almost certainty that it was strep throat. I'd like to share with you my protocol for handling this situation.

1. Every hour (I set my watch! Consistency is the key to success!), garlic poultices* on his feet, chest, throat, behind his ears, and on his back, until he shows significant improvement from fever and lethargy. As he improves, I space this out to every 3 hours until he is well. (I do not wake him if he is sleeping comfortably.)

2. With every (3-hour) garlic application, I give him a zinc lozenge.

3. For breakfast, lunch, supper, and bedtime, I give him a Vit. C tablet, as well as a dose of grapefruit seed extract. GSE is another of God's wonderful germ-fighting gifts to us. For dosing, I mix 3 drops of GSE with 2 tsp. of juice.

4. I immediately begin the rest of the family on the same Vit. C, GSE plan (3 meals + bedtime). Jason and I take GSE tablets. EVERYONE gets it, consistently, and I also spray our toothbrushes with GSE.

5. We all continue with the GSE and Vit. C for at least 1 day after the illness is gone.

The result? Bubbie got sick on Wednesday night and was well by Friday. So far, 7 days later, no one else has been sick. That was the quickest strep throat we've ever experienced!

I know, the big complaint: IT STINKS! I say, "It smells like health." But, honestly, shouldn't you be staying home alone when there's illness in your family anyway? No one else should even smell it! Besides, it's a small price to pay when you consider the benefits: you have built up the immune system rather than making it more resistant to antibiotics (which means less sickness in the future), and you have saved doctor bills, gas, and time!

*Here is how I prepare a garlic poultice

I usually prepare 2 at a time, so I can speed up my application.

First, press a clove of garlic with a garlic press. Here is a picture of my beloved Pampered Chef garlic press:

Next, place the crushed garlic onto a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and steep it in hot tap water for about a minute. Add a little cool water to cool the temperature of the poultice, squeeze it out and apply immediately. I usually begin with the soles of the feet, and apply for 60-90 seconds at a time. Then, I move to the chest and throat, then behind the ears, then on the back. In about 5 minutes, your patient will have garlic breath! NOTE: Garlic will burn if left directly on the skin for more than a couple minutes, so be wise!

If you haven't discovered "the stinking rose" for your family yet, give it a try. (Gel caps are great for adults!) Do a google search on the healing properties of garlic, and you'll be amazed! And remember 2 things: First of all, the reason that natural remedies don't work for most people is that they aren't used consistently enough, in high enough doses, and for a long enough period of time. Secondly, you might need a pharmaceutical antibiotic for something dangerous one day, so don't build up your body's resistance to antibiotics when it isn't necessary! (Been there, done that. But that's another blog for another day)