First of all why would you consider adding sole to your daily routine?  In my own self and in my clients I’ve already seen it bring astounding results… It can help with a wide range of issues including muscle cramps, joint aches and pains, headaches and migraines, constipation, and dryness to mention just a few.

To describe it simply, you are making your own mineral rich, saturated, ionic solution that has the potential to impact on cells throughout your body.

Here are just some of the ways in which it works:

• It helps support detoxification within the body, including heavy metal detox.
• It improves hydration and mineral absorption throughout the body at a cellular level.
• It helps balance pH throughout your whole system.
• It helps balance blood sugar and blood pressure.
• It helps balance hormones, and supports adrenal and thyroid function.
• It is a powerful anti-histamine.
• It helps increase energy levels at a cellular level but also for the whole person.

After reading that incredible list I really hope you’re inspired to grab a jar and give it a go.

Grab a glass jar with a plastic or glass lid (no metal as it will react with the salt solution if it’s in prolonged contact with it).  Fill the jar 1/4 full with either sea salt, celtic salt, or Himalayan salt (that is what I used in these photos).  It’s really important to use high quality, natural salt as table salt is a different composition and won’t have the positive benefits you are wanting.  Fill the jar to a couple of cms below the top.  Put the lid on a shake it a lot.  Leave it for 24 hours.  If it is all dissolved then you need to add more salt and repeat.  If there is just a little bit that couldn’t dissolve then your solution is “saturated” and very concentrated and ready to use.  Here is my concentrated solution.

I like to take mine on rising, and I take it according to taste.  It is generally recommended to take a teaspoon in a glass of water.  Occasionally I have more than that because it feels like I’m really yearning for it.  Most times I just stick with a teaspoon – as a little bit works wonders.  Trust your taste buds though.  I don’t think they will allow you to have any more than a tablespoon (as it does taste like sea water!)

And it’s that simple!

When your sole gets low just add more salt and make it again.  It lasts indefinitely as it is antibacterial and antifungal.

So give it a go, and let us know what you notice!

The post Will a salt water sole help those health challenges you are having? appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

The other day my children and I were reading the ingredients on a friend’s organic energy drink… and my children were lamenting that I wouldn’t buy them some.  Jeepers – can you imagine!  Children drinking energy drink!  Enough to make me run the other direction!!!

But us mum’s and dad’s – we sure could do with some energy couldn’t we?  People often ask me “How do you do it all, and stay calm and positive?”  Well, truth is I don’t always.  But the times when I do I know the key is paying very good attention to my own health and well being.  These are my top tips for feeling energetic, positive and calm when I have a lot on my plate:

• Fermented skate liver oil  – can’t be without it.  Definitely gives me the level headed calm feeling I need to tackle things one at a time.  For me this is my daily “must do”.
• Probiotics – homemade or commercial  (sauerkraut, kefir, cultured cream or yoghurt, kombucha or my best summer day pick me up Nonna’s apple cider vinegar and honey cordial – equal parts of each and mixed with water to taste – and you can add a small amount of bicarb soda).  Taking care of my gut health is a key in ensuring that I feel healthy, that I’m digesting well, and that I’m able to absorb the nutrients I’m eating.
• Herbs definitely help, and my favourites are Astragalus, Withania and Korean Ginseng.  All of these herbs are well known for supporting you during times of stress, and giving you good energy levels.  I like Nature’s Sunshine herbs because there is nothing else added.
• Organic Liver – I personally had low iron levels over the years and that definitely waxes my energy.  I either cut up frozen liver into capsule size pieces and swallow as if it was a capsule.  Or I grate up to 2 tablespoons frozen liver into a smoothie – you can’t taste it at all, it just makes it lovely and frothy. But my kids hate the thought of it, so I have to be a little sneaky… or yummy liver pate.  I love my friend Miranda’s recipe, with carrots added for that natural sweet edge.  Ensuring liver is a regular part of my diet helps me maintain healthy iron levels.
• Power nap – as a Mum who has spent over 10 years waking up and caring for children through the night I’ve perfected the art of a power nap.  Even if you can’t sleep, just lying down, sinking your whole body into the mattress and resting restores your energy and helps you keep on going.
• A burst of the midday sun can give that energy boost you need… even if you just get out to hang out the washing.
• Playing chasy with the kids.  The sad thing is that some of my children are already faster than me… so I have to really work in a game of chasy.  But it gets the blood flowing, gets us all giggling, and helps us all to feel positive and energetic.
• And sometimes a piece of Loving Earth chocolate is the only pick me up that will do!  I like Loving Earth because it’s all organic, raw cacao, coconut sugar sweetened and no nasties.

A study once required adults to follow toddlers and mimic their movements.  It was intended the adults would do this for the whole day, but after just two hours the adults weren’t able to keep going.  It was so exhausting.  We do have to nurture ourselves to keep up with our kids.  It’s worth adding those little things that make a difference, just adding one at a time, to our daily routines.

Sacred foods to nourish the family

Free natural health care… oil pulling

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Abiding by the principle “If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin” will eventually bless you with glowing skin, as well as more money in your wallet. And if you are trying to reduce the toxic load on your children, and the whole family for that matter, the skin is as good a place as any to start.

Cleansing

• Milk cleanser:  Use milk, yoghurt, buttermilk, kefir or cream.  I usually head to the kitchen on the way to the shower, grab a handful of dairy product and warm it in my hands on the way back to the shower.  I gently rub it in and leave it on as long as possible, rinsing it off at the end of my shower.  These skin softening elixirs have a high fat content and restore the natural acid mantle on your skin.  This promotes a finer complexion and soothes reddened, dry or irritated patches.

• Make up remover:  If you want to be fancy mix 4 tablespoons sweet almond oil, 1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil, 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil and 3 drops of chamomile essential oil for a long lasting, sweetly scented, gentle make up remover perfect for the delicate skin around the eyes.  If you want to be simple (and we often are in our bustling home) just use almond, apricot or coconut oil by itself.

Exfoliating

• Very basic scrub: For an occasional deeper cleanse massage almond meal gently on face (with water).  Be gentle!
• Scrub starter mix:  ½ cup very fine oatmeal, ¼ cup organic collagen powder, 1 tablespoon white clay.  To this you can add whatever you like: mashed berries & yoghurt, leftover juice pulp, mashed papaya, milk & lemon juice, apple juice & powdered kelp are a few ideas.  You could also add essential oils to your scrub starter if you like (just add drop by drop and stir constantly to avoid clumps): 10 drops mandarin & 5 drops sandalwood is a heavenly combination.
• Skin polishing: Use 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda on your finger tips and very gently polish your skin before showering.  This may cause some initial redness, but once that settles your skin will be fine and smooth.

Toning

• Apple cider vinegar toner: Buy a good organic brand.  Dilute 5 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon vinegar.  Or instead of using water make a floral infusion with 2 teaspoons dried herb (or 4 teaspoons fresh) and 1 cup of boiling water… steep 15 minutes covering pot to prevent nutrient loss, strain and cool.  From our garden we use lavender, elderflower, or calendula.  Put on after cleansing and leave on.  The vinegar helps restore the skin’s pH and floral water will heal and balance the skin.

Detoxing and drawing out the nasties

The skin is a great tool for the body to shed toxins, and we can support our body’s ability to draw out.  Clay has remarkable drawing properties, and is really deserving of its own post.  But to get you started here are some simple ideas for making masks:

• Clay mask:  mix a few spoons of your choice of clay (white is gentle, suitable for everyone including children and sensitive skin; yellow for weary, dehydrated skin; red to soothe redness in skin; and green for deeper drawing properties – but not suitable for sensitive skin) with yoghurt and honey.  Add a teeny amount of water VERY slowly to make a paste like thick cream.  Put on and chill… as in relax, don’t go putting your face in the fridge!  This should leave your skin glowing for days and reduce open pores.  You can vary this mask depending what you have around (e.g. fruit juice pulp, avocado, very fine oatmeal, kelp powder, or peeled and grated cucumber).

Moisturiser

• Coconut Oil:    I can’t speak more highly of coconut oil as an all over body and facial moisturiser.  We’ve used it to heal and prevent school sores, to help heal and protect from sunburn and we’ve even found it to be anti-inflammatory and healing in the case of dry and inflamed eyes.  A friend of mine with Papua New Guinean heritage taught me a lovely ritual for my children – a daily coconut oil rub on their bodies and faces, taking a little moment to give them some healthy loving touch and connection.  We also teach them to do it for themselves as they learn what it means to nurture their own bodies and faces.  We’ve learnt this is a way to prevent school sores as well as nourish the skin. During very dry times we’ll replace it with almond, apricot kernel or even olive oil.

• Basic Jojoba moisturiser:  The jojoba desert plant retains moisture during the long hot summer.  The waxy oil does the same when applied to our skin.  Use alone or mix 2 ½ tab jojoba oil with 5-10 drops essential oil of your choice (chamomile, lavender, rose, ylang ylang, patchouli, sandalwood are a few lovelies).

The post What are you feeding your skin? appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

We had just enjoyed a DVD by Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions) and were inspired by her discussions about regular cod liver oil use in children preventing diabetes in adults, among many other health benefits.

We had been taking another brand of cod liver oil, but were disheartened to learn that most brands of cod liver oil and fish oils were industrially processed, stripped of nutrients and had synthetic vitamins added back in. The better brands used natural vitamins… but still this wasn’t what we were wanting. We wanted real cod liver oil.

When we tasted Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil and butter oil blend we all said “Aaaahhh… that’s what cod liver oil is meant to be like.”  It actually tasted like you would imagine cod liver oil to taste… Yes, it took a bit of getting used to, but we all just knew that our bodies and minds were yearning for more of the stuff. And we haven’t looked back. We keep a basket of oils on the dining table and eat them with our meal, washing them down with a drink of raw milk, a smoothie, or a homemade fermented drink. And Tanya’s family, in amongst their nourishing diet, also enjoy them now too – each having their own preferred flavour.

Our family also enjoy Green Pastures Skate Liver Oil. Dave Wetzel, from Green Pastures, sources his cod livers from sustainable fishing in Russia. The Russians were intrigued by someone using traditional techniques to ferment their cod livers, but they kept telling him if he liked cod liver oil he really needed to try making skate liver oil – their traditional sacred food. For us the effects of skate liver oil is hard to put into words… except to say that in what from the outside probably seems like a totally ridiculous amount of pressure (running a business or two, homeschooling 5 children, cooking everything from scratch and being happily married) we are mostly calm and settled. Skate liver oil is definitely a big contributor to all of those things running smoothly.  We’ve had periods here and there without it, and we all notice the difference.

Based on our personal experience we would definitely recommend cod liver and skate liver oils for anyone who wants to improve memory, attention/concentration, mood and mental health, joint health and overall well being.

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First of all stay calm. Your skin is one of the primary shedding organs in the body, and natural health philosophy is pleased by skin rashes as it is a very effective way of detoxing the body. This is a healing process and needs to run its course without being suppressed if possible. On the other hand, it’s distressing and challenging to manage, so no one should ever be judged if they resort to antibiotic/antibacterial creams.

In all of our years of treating illnesses naturally, school sores was definitely a tough one. In the end we were able to bring healing to each person with only natural remedies. This was our treatment protocol:

• Our homeopath makes a mixed remedy especially for impetigo.  It is Ant Crud 6 with Ars Alb 200.  This remedy is available directly from Henny Beckert at Cairns Homeopathy or from Atherton Health Food Store.
• Treat each child with active sores 3 x day with diluted tea tree, calendula and hypericum oils mixed with coconut oil.  It is important to use good quality real tea tree oil in an oil base (not the cheaper tea tree in an alcohol base – it will hurt too much).  When our children had a lot of sores and they seemed to be spreading rapidly we ended up applying this mix to the whole body, and it stopped the spread and healed the sores.  This, along with plain coconut oil, was the most effective treatment for every member of the family.  And rubbing the skin daily with coconut oil prevents school sores.
• During the early stages we used green clay poultices with some of our children.  Sometimes we mixed tea tree and myrrh oils into the clay.  Poultices are made by mixing green clay with water to make a paste and spreading thickly over the skin.  Then leave till dry.  This can be done overnight but don’t cover poultices except just with loose cotton clothing.  For some of our children this was soothing and cooling.  Other children hated it.  I generally trust the individual child to show you what they need.
• Charcoal poultices worked well for some children, and others hated it.  Mix small amount of charcoal powder with water to make a paste and apply thickly to skin.
• If sores are on sensitive areas of the body e.g. lips/eye use manuka honey or coconut oil.  On privates you may use diluted tea tree (yes, some of our poor children had them spread into those areas).
• To heal and prevent scarring use calendula tincture or calendula oil.  We are lucky enough to have a vegie bed full of flowers, so we can infuse our own oil, and rub it into the skin for healing.

Don’t stress if infection spreads to other family members… they are also just having their system cleaned out via the skin and ultimately their overall health will be stronger for it. Just treat proactively and promptly to support their body to heal, and reassure yourself it will pass.

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It’s called “Oil Pulling” and the results will amaze you. It’s very simple and once you get used to it is easy to include in your daily routine. Basically you swish and work a teaspoon or two of oil around your mouth for about 20 minutes.

It works because the emulsifying action of the oil makes your body produce saliva and mucous, and the action within your mouth works to deeply cleanse your mouth (and eventually body) of harmful bacteria. You might have heard the saying “All disease begins in the mouth” – well this method might end up making you believe that saying, because it offers profound relief for varying symptoms.

When I first started oil pulling I had suffered from chronic neck pain which often led to migraines – and I’d tried ever natural health remedy to no avail. After the first day of oil pulling my neck felt significantly less sore. Within 3 days the pain was gone – completely – and I slept well, pain free for the first time in months! I had to stop oil pulling during the early stages of pregnancy, and the pain returned… When I could start again the pain was gone the next day!

I’ve heard reports from others of chronic back pain, halitosis, and tooth decay all disappearing. I know – it really does sound too good to be true. But it is very real, and can have a huge impact so I felt compelled to share it with you all.

I personally love to do it first thing when I wake up – as that is when the levels of bad bacteria in your mouth are highest. I do it while I have a shower and make breakfast. Then I take my probiotic powder – I have found the probiotic powder is even more effective once you start oil pulling. I’m sure it must be easier for the good bacteria to colonise your digestive system when there is less competition. And then I go about my day.

Oil Pulling Instructions
You can use any vegetable oil for oil pulling, so you can start with what you have in your cupboard. It doesn’t need to be organic as you won’t swallow it. It is best to use an oil with a mild, pleasant flavour so coconut, sesame and safflower oils are often recommended. I choose coconut (even though in cold weather I have to chew it a little till it is liquid). Coconut oil is antibacterial and antifungal so I find it achieves great results.

1. Take 1-2 teaspoons of the oil and put it in your mouth. Begin to swish it all around your mouth over every surface you can bring it to. After a while you will feel more liquid come into your mouth as you secrete more saliva. Eventually, if the amount becomes too much (more so when you are just beginning) it is okay to either spit a little out and continue, or spit it all out and start again.

2. For any health results you need to oil pull for 20 minutes. Any less doesn’t seem to have the same results. To start with this can be hard to get used to. I find it best to do something to distract myself (e.g. shower, make breakfast, cleaning). If you need to stop half way through and start again (as described above) then you just need to do a total time of 20 minutes.

3. You may need to cough or blow your nose while you are doing it as mucous production is stimulated. With practice you’ll be able to do all these things while you are oil pulling. Don’t worry if you lose control while you are first learning and accidentally spurt it out. You’ll get more control with practice. If it is very challenging to start with you can reduce the time to say 5 minutes until you get used to it and increase it as it becomes easier.

4. Don’t swallow the oil as it contains poisons, toxins and harmful bacteria. If you accidentally swallow a little, don’t stress – it’ll be fine, but try to avoid swallowing it.

5. Don’t spit the oil down your sink as it will clog your sink. Spit it into the rubbish or in the garden. It will be a white colour after 20 minutes.

6. Children over the age of 5 can learn to do oil pulling. They can usually only do it for about 5 minutes. Let them learn at their own pace.

7. You can do it at any time of the day, but the harmful bacteria are highest in your mouth first thing in the morning. You can have a small drink of water first to moisten your mouth and help stimulate saliva production. If you prefer other times of the day that is fine. If you are trying to heal very serious health complaints you are best to do it 3 times a day, but for most people once a day is fine.

8. In the first couple of weeks you may notice your body going through a cleansing reaction where a lot of mucous production is stimulated. This is normal, and a good sign that your body is cleansing – even though it may feel not quite so nice at the time.

…it’s free, it’s easy, and it’s a habit I’ll be keeping!

Reference: Oil Pulling Therapy by Dr. Bruce Fife.

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