The first time I heard about homeopathy was in the book, Little Women. In the story, one of the sisters had a fever that they were trying to treat.  They spoke of cooling her feet (oh yes, hydrotherapy as well!) to drive the fever from her head to her feet and they had a homeopathic book that was helping them decide which homeopathic remedy to give her. I believe they gave her Belladonna.

My first personal experience was at school. I had some friends who were focusing on homeopathy so I let them, actually it was just one friend, practice on me. A homeopathic doctor will take many notes with their patient about the  strange questions he or she is asking. For example, from which side of the bed you sleep on to fears and aversions to food. With these clues or rubrics the doctor will use with  a homeopathic repertory book which holds thousands of rubrics that the doctor matches up to your rubrics. It is quite a process that can take some time but very much worth it.

I first used homeopathy with Merrin when she was a few months old. She was a big happy baby (first rubric), but she didn’t move around a lot (in fact she never crawled - second rubric). She had one thing going on that worried me as a first time mother. She didn’t poop much ( third rubric)! I decided to take her to the doctor and after much discussion we gave her a remedy called calc. carb. This worked because by the time we got home her diaper was full and we never had a problem again.

I almost always give a remedy when the kids are sick along with herbal tinctures. At times, the kids have only taken the homeopathic remedy. It has always helped!

Be well,

www.drheathernd.com

I remember when I first learned about hydrotherapy in school. I was struck by the history behind it. To me, hydrotherapy makes sense. The idea of applying hot and cold water to create dilation and constriction in the blood vessels which in turn pushes the blood around more optimally in the body just makes sense. With this process, we have more blood circulation that allows the body to bring in new white blood cells, or deliver nutrients optimally to organs.

I was easily sold on the concept. Then the truth came. We were deep into the depths of Portland Oregon’s winter and our professor asked us to end our hot showers with cold showers for a week. Yikes! Well, I gave it a try and was amazed at how it made me feel – awake and invigorated but also calm! I felt much healthier as well.

We do a lot of hydrotherapy in our house. Magic socks tops the list. Watch the kid’s crazy video below to learn more.

MAGIC socks

Merrin and Pearl will now ask to do the procedure if they are not feeling very well. Sometimes if there is a chest cough we will do a magic t-shirt. The thought of it is much more painful than the actual doings. It is so powerful that sometimes just doing it once will clear up the cough.

One other note I need to mention is that hydrotherapy is very calming so it is a fantastic sleep aid. Kids and adults will generally fall asleep soon after doing the magic socks and t-shirts.

Be well,

www.drheathernd.com

I love cookies. They are with out a doubt my favourite treat. Sometimes I will just crave one and then go straight to the kitchen and start baking up a batch; a big production with a worthy reward. But then I came across a recipe format he cookbook, Feeding the Whole Family, for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was simple and fast yet nutritious and yummy. I made a minor change to make it a quicker bake and then passed it on to friends and patients. People loved the cookie and many people turned it into a breakfast cookie. Instead of the chocolate chips, you can add walnuts and apples or coconut with almonds. The key is to be creative with the base recipe and then add a smoothie. Voila! A very nutritious breakfast.

YUMMY BREAKFAST COOKIES!

• 1 ½ cup of any type of granola
• 1 cup of spelt (or any type of flour)
• ½ cup of maple syrup1/3 cup of softened butter)
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• optional: 1/3 cup of a type of nut, chocolate chips, apples, pears, cranberries, raisins, coconut or even seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine granola and flour in a bowl
3. In another bowl mix together maple syrup, butter and vanilla
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Stir in the optional treats.
5. The dough maybe a little sticky, but form as best you can on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, but be sure to check because everyone’s stove is slightly different.

Enjoy!

Be well,

www.drheathernd.com

A friend passed along this article,  A Rise in Kidney Stones Is Seen in U.S. Children, to me last week and I found it quite interesting.

SALT

Salt seems to be the enemy in this story and I think it shows a good case against the overuse of salt. My thought is that people have become so accustom to the taste of salt because of the growing consumption of processed foods (canned foods etc). I believe it goes back to helping families find and use whole foods again. People may think it as a more laborious activity with their busy schedules but I find that once I have the mindset to cook and bake myself, it is quite easy and so rewarding.

HYDRATE

The second thought of this article is the fact that we do not hydrate ourselves enough with water. Our bodies are mostly made with water and it is important that we fuel it with water than with other drinks that may lead to further dehydration.

At home, to encourage more water drinking, we add lemons and limes or even cucumbers to our water. We also make herbal iced teas. Tazo’s Sweet Orange is our favourite!

Be well,

www.drheathernd.com

I decided to go off all grains before getting pregnant with my second daughter.  I did this for about three months but when I returned home for the holidays I indulged in all the goodies my sister’s had made and I felt horrible - stuffy and tired the whole trip.  I realized that I had been feeling that way my whole life and that gluten products must have been playing a role in that!

Gluten is a wheat protein found in most grains. It is very difficult to digest and for some people it can cause celiac disease. This disease causes a disruption in the lining of the intestines, which increases permeability. This permeability allows other grain and milk proteins to cross over which causes an immune reaction.
Milk products seem to be on radar for food allergies and sensitivities but I actually find that gluten poses just as much a threat to our bodies. I have seen people complain of fatigue, foggy minds, hyperactive kids, sinus infections, and constipation who when removed all gluten from their diet noticed dramatic changes.

I suggest to people to commit themselves to a time period that they can really commit to eliminating gluten from their diet (so you need to be honest with yourself!). Ideally 6 weeks but even after 1 week people can see a difference. For this time period, do not eat any grains (some brown rice is ok). On your last day, have a party and eat grains all day and note how you feel. You may not have realized that you felt bad before, and then after eating a normal daily load of grains your body will show you. You can try this with any foods. To me, it gives a much more accurate view of how your body responds to foods (versus a food allergy test

This blog, gluten free Mommy, is a great place to go for recipes and support on a gluten free life.

Be well,

It has been a busy year for me. Back in January 2008, I decided to put my thoughts on designing a website into action. Almost to the minute of making this decision everything fell into place. I met an amazing woman who has become my business consultant and pretty much my lifeline to my idea. She has pushed me to strive for something I could never imagined that I could do. I am so grateful for her. Then my children’s book started to come to life with finding an illustrator who really heard my voice, and finding my recording/musician friend. In the midst of all of this I am grateful to have my friends and family listening and supporting me.

Big thanks!

My website, www.drheathernd.com has officially launched full of information on preventative health care, guidance for supplement shopping (and shopping for them as well), to an exciting kids section and of course, my audio book, the first in a series of Human Body Detectives stories.

Now I have switched over from Blogger to Wordpress and I am so excited about the change and new possibilities.Again big thanks to you all who helped me get this far and for all of you helping me now. I hope to continue to hear from you and receive comments and thoughts on my site.

Be well,

I realize that if I allow myself to be more creative I am a much happier person. I love writing, creating photo books (although I am not a scrap booker as I need to see an end) and movies and if my family is lucky, getting adventurous in the kitchen.

When I was younger, I would sew but rarely use a pattern. I would just go for it and end up spending way too make time ripping thread out and re-sewing but it was all fun for me. Knitting was also a favourite and then when I had kids, the kid crafts took over. Even if you just pull out a coloring book and some crayons I guarantee you will feel relaxed and bring out the kid in you!

Be well,

www.drheathernd.com