The season of “school bugs” is upon us. Are you already fed up with runny noses, coughs, and stomach bugs? In my last post I shared five strategies for staying healthy during the school year and promised that I’d follow up with some specific food tips. When it comes to staying healthy and recovering from illness, you really can’t ignore the importance of diet—for adults and kids alike. But
Illness & Natural Remedies
5 Strategies for Staying Healthy During the School Year
Every year when school starts, the runny noses and illnesses begin, too. I used to be a classroom teacher, and I saw it every year. Are you already fed up with the endless runny noses, coughs, and (worst of all) stomah bugs? Do you feel like you’re just bracing yourself for the next illness to strike your family? Do not despair! There are things you can do to help yourself and your family get
Ticks: Do Non-Toxic Repellents Work?
If you know us by now, you know that we are always trying to find products and solutions that keep toxins away from our homes and families. Sometime there are problems difficult enough to make us pay even closer attention. A good example of this is the problems with ticks and the diseases they spread. Ticks & Pets We walk our new puppy, Koa, twice a day. There is a great park nearby with
Baby-Biotics: What are the Best Probiotic Supplements for Babies & Kids?
After Maia posted about multivitamins last summer, we were flooded with questions about probiotics. Should you be giving your babies and kids probiotic supplements? And if so, which brands are the Good Stuff? Probiotics are a complex and fascinating topic. I’m a Certified Holistic Health Coach, but not a physician, so I’m not here to dispense medical advice. I do have some information
Natural Eczema Treatment for Babies & Kids
I hear from a lot of desperate parents whose babies and kids suffer from eczema. An estimated 10-20% of infants and kids have eczema nowadays. Maybe there is more awareness about it now (when I was a kid, we probably often passed it off as a bad case of “dry skin”), or maybe it is occurring more frequently in the population. Regardless, eczema is driving many of you crazy, and the eczema
A Nontoxic Option for Zika Protection?
Even those of us in wintery climates can’t ignore headlines about the mosquito-born Zika virus. The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency as experts scramble to understand more about the virus. Zika’s certainly on my radar. My family and I are escaping the snow to go to the Bahamas next week, and in May, I’m traveling to Nicaragua for a wedding. I'm not planning
Bring Herbal Medicine Out of the Cupboard and into Everyday Life
My health coaching clients often ask me about adding supplements to their diet, and as a routine, I don’t recommend them. This isn't because I am against supplements categorically, but I resonate more with Michael Pollan’s philosophy on health: “Eat food, mostly plants, not too much.” I have a lot of respect for science, but I think that it can be hard to transfer laboratory science into
Why I Hate Air Conditioning & Even Think It’s Bad For Your Health!
It’s hot and so humid here in Pennsylvania, and most people in my town think I am crazy for not having central air conditioning in my home. Having lived in the mountains of Vermont for most of my adult life, air conditioning was never an issue. While it was warm during the middle of the day, mornings and evenings were cool and comfortable. Here in Pennsylvania, it’s pretty hot. But I find
Green Goo Heals Sore, Raw Noses from Spring Colds
Sorry for the lack of new blog posts this and last week! Our family business has been suffering from a multi-generational cold from hell. It started with our shipping manager's grandson, and quickly spread to my mom, then onto my children and then me. From there, I infected nearly everyone I came into contact with--it was no joke of a virus and Wolfie's nose is STILL running two weeks into
Updated Nipple Cream Guide & a Lanolin Horror Story
My big project for the next few weeks is going through all our Safe Product Guides and updating each one with additional information I have learned since their original publication, plus of course adding new products that have entered the market (or changed their formulas) and are Good, Bad, or Sneaky. A recent email I received from a reader (pasted below) prompted me to start with the Safe