The holidays have been full of late nights - at least in our house ( but I am sure we are not alone)! This coming weekend will be about getting the kids back on schedule so they are not tired and grumpy in school. Below are some things I did when when they were small and what I usually re-introduce after a school break.

BEDTIME!

I remember the nights, very well, when it was impossible to get my kids to go to sleep. I actually think it was the true test of my patience! I never let my kids “cry it out” as it was just too painful for us all. So I decided to come up with a plan that really worked for us. I allowed myself to relax and realize that bedtime was a special time for me to have with my kids. I focused more on peacefully reading to my tired kids instead of focusing on them going to sleep. Two books and a short discussion of the highlights of their day would work…so I thought. Well, I needed to devise a more diverse plan. I realized the number one solution was to find a ritual that works for everyone and then stick to it. Here are some suggestions for settling the mood for sleep:

* Having a tea party with a sleepy time tea (or something similar)

* Purchase an 8oz spray bottle and place 1oz of essential oil mixture (rose, chamomile, vanilla and lavender work well) in the bottle and fill the rest with water. Spray on your child’s bedding, but only for naps and bedtimes

* The essential oil mixture can also be put in the bath tub for night time soak

* Purchase a lullaby or a calming cd (better without lyrics) to play in the bedroom when the lights are turned off. Only play this music for nap and bedtime

* If all else fails, let your child colour or look at a book in bed but tell her them they may not leave their bedroom (make sure they have water so they will not holler for some)

Be well,

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2009

Contact: Heather Manley, N.D.

HAWAII DOCTOR PUBLISHES SECOND KIDS’ EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURE STORY

Hawaii Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Heather Manley, announces the release of Human Body Detectives: Battle with the Bugs, the second activity workbook and story-telling audioCD in her Human Body Detectives (HBD) series, on November 18, 2009.

HBD is a series of educational adventure stories for 7-12 year olds where two young “Human Body Detectives,” Merrin and Pearl, magically enter different systems in the body to solve health mysteries. Through action packed fiction stories told on audio CD, listeners learn how the various systems work and what foods best fuel each system. The accompanying workbook filled with games and puzzles reinforces what kids have learned from the story and helps them further understand the importance of maintaining a healthy immune system.

In Battle with the Bugs, while on a family trip to Mexico, the girls are joined by brave cousin Sam on a learning journey through the immune system. They start out in the mucus-filled nose of cousin Max, who is suffering from a bad cold, and proceed to learn everything from what white blood cells do to what causes a fever. Trying to help Max, they even befriend a macrophage warrior named Quickster whom they help fight the bad bug invaders.

Battle with the Bugs follows Manley’s first story, The Lucky Escape, where Merrin and Pearl wind up in their baby brother’s digestive system and narrowly escape his poopy diaper.

HBD stories and workbooks:
• Engage kids in a fun way to learn about how their bodies work
• Encourage kids to make healthy food and lifestyle choices
• Inspire kids to take charge of their own health
• Support parents and teachers by enhancing science/health curricula

As a physician and a mother, Manley believes that if children understand how their bodies work, they are more apt to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. She came up with the idea for the HBD series after discovering a lack of books on the market that help kids learn, in a fun way, about how their bodies work. Manley’s goal is to expand the series to at least five books with corresponding DVD’s. Merrin and Pearl will next appear in the circulatory system, learning about keeping the heart healthy, in HBD: A Heart Pumping Adventure, set for press in spring 2010. Adventures through the nervous and muscular systems will follow.

The activity workbook, audio CD, and DVD packages are geared to serve as tools for families, teachers and home school parents, to supplement current science and/or health curricula. The HBD series is also highlighted on Manley’s website. The site provides a resource for people, especially parents of young children, to learn about preventative health care and taking charge of their family’s health.

Dr. Manley is a naturopathic physician licensed in the state of Hawaii. She is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Medicine and the Hawaii Naturopathic Medicine Association.

For more information, please visit the HBD site, or email drheather

My daughter, Pearl is obsessed with Halloween ( see my previous post on Arnica to learn more.)

This year she really wanted to have her birthday party on Halloween so all of her friends could trick or treat together. She also wanted to have a mystery party. This past summer, a friend of ours, hosted a murder mystery party and Pearl LOVED the concept. We decided against the murder part ( although we do love the game Clue) and I started doing some research - the thought of writing and putting together this party seemed a bit too much for me - scavenger hunts are about as far as I can go!.

I came across this website, dramatic fanatic, and realized quite quickly that it would be perfect match for the party. Pearl and I decided to chose the, “Witchy Mystery,” and the process for checking out was simple and easy. It downloads to your computer. I just read through the instructions and it seems easy and fun!

I will keep you updated on how the rest of it will go….

Be well,

I am going to purchase this book although I may not need it but I have some friends who I think do!

I am all about teaching my kids to be proactive and independent in their daily life. I realized early on with my older daughter that they clearly give you signs when they are ready to be “left alone” to do things themselves. It first happened when Merrin refused to wash her hair so I just gave her the shampoo bottle and she preceded to wash her own hair and the second big memory is when she, at 20 months threw her diaper across the room and said, “NO!” That was a little scary for me as we were off to the park but I just went for it and she had very few accidents after that.

Now that the kids are older, the stakes are up. Should I let them walk home from school alone? Or with friends? It is a toughy but the more I talk to the girls and see where their comfort level is, I can see when the time is right. They really need and desire the independence and hard as it is for us to “let go” we need too.

If you entering this stage in life, this might be a great book for you to pick up, read and talk to your kids about.

Be well,

I have been wanting to write a blog about this but to be honest I keep forgetting to jot it down on my “what to blog about” list. Well, my sister helped by sending some information on the new Phillips rechargeable sonic toothbrush for kids. Pearl has been begging for her own electric toothbrush and this will be a perfect gift for her.

Let me back up a bit. This past summer, Pearl went in for her annual dental check. She loves going to the doctor, dentist or chiropractor so she considered it a fun activity. Although this visit was not such a great one ~unfortunately she had a few cavities. I feel like it is a bit my fault. In the last year I have let her brush and floss her own teeth. Brushing is ok but the dentist said that kids do not have the dexterity to floss their own teeth until they are 8. I had never heard of this! Since the cavities were between her teeth, we needed to take some serious action in the flossing department. I bought her some triple clean floss picks and I make sure to watch her do it. This new toothbrush will be the perfect addition to her dental hygiene routine.

This is a really good habit for her to get into now, as dental health is really important. The mouth is the gateway to the inside of our bodies so helping the immune system by cleaning and flossing our teeth can really help keep our bodies strong and healthy.

Be well,

This is my all time favourite herb! It has many medicinal properties ~ it is anti-microbial, anti-viral, soothing to the mucous membranes and I think tastes amazing!

The kids have been in school for the last few weeks and their classmates have been sick and the girls’ immunes have been challenged. I have been adding “Berry Well’ in their smoothies as well as cod liver oil and probiotics, but this morning Pearl came down and said she didn’t feel well. So I gave her a dropperful of glycyrrhiza tincture with some warm water and she guzzled it down ..super fast!

You can pick up a tincture bottle at any healthfood store or purchase through Emerson on my site. It is nice to have handy!

Be well,

My good friends Drs. Eckel and Nigh latest Nature Cures Clinic Health Chat is on the Swine Flu. They talk about the disease, vaccinations and the immune system. It is quite informative. Much of their date I had not heard of (for example; pharmaceuticals company being excempt to accusations to any side effects) but most of their researched based chat is very important for all to listen to.

Love the quote from them, “infection is infection.” Very true and really it is the health of the body. Yes, sometimes you need to be more aggressive with certain infections but in general treating diseases has the same protocol.

Basically increase your immunity by….

• Wash your hands
• Eat well and drink water
• Sleep well
• Be active
• Breathe deeply

And during the winter months….

• Check out you serum vitamin d levels
• Take a good quality multi vitamin
• Take vitamin c daily
• Take probiotics
• Have echinacea herbal tincture or some immune botanical medicine at home

Please listen to what these amazing doctors have to say and do your research so you can make the best decision for you and your family.

Be well,

PS check out my site for more information on supplements, hydrotherapy, homeopathy

For all those art enthusiasts or who have children who are crazy about doodling with colour, you really need to check out this Boulder based company ~ it is beautiful.

But not only is it beautiful, it is a brilliant natural art supply company that makes you feel good about your kids hands getting colourful with paint, clay well you name it. The art supplies are all-natural, certified organic and environmentally friendly ( and so is the packaging!)

They are now available in Whole Foods Market and will soon be available in selected Starbucks stores. Keep you eye out for these…they are great gifts to everyone!

Be well and happy colouring!

With school just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to introduce my new discovery, Jonesy’s Allergy Cards.

An allergy card is a custom card created for your child with their name, birth date, allergies, EpiPen directions and your contact information.

To me, they seem quite essential if your child has any type of allergies from food to bees.

Jonesy offers 2 types of cards, one for a restaurant and one for play dates, that will escort your child wherever they are going.  Jonesy will help design a perfect card that fits your child’s own specific needs.

Please pass this information on to anyone you may know who has a child with allergies. It is really an inexpensive way to inform people about your child’s needs.

Be well,

PS Jonesy designs an array of beautiful cards (they do custom work as well), so take a minute and check out her site

I stumbled across this article from a fellow friend and naturopathic physician. Love the conclusion!

“Daily dietary probiotic supplementation for 6 months was a safe effective way to reduce fever, rhinorrhea, and cough incidence and duration and antibiotic prescription incidence, as well as the number of missed school days attributable to illness, for children 3 to 5 years of age.”

PMID: 19651563 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I think probiotics are extremely helpful in preventing sickness and help during a sickness. We usually have a daily smoothie and  I love my kids getting some fruits from the smoothie, but I really love to throw in some extras goodies to help keep their immune systems strong. Probiotics are one of them along with Nordic Natural Cod Liver Oil and Vital Kids Berry Well.

You may be able to pick some these supplements at your local healthfood store or you can purchase through my site with Emerson Ecologics ( the access code is 96743).

Be well,

The HBDs are at it again! At it in the kitchen that is! This month Merrin ( with the help of Pearl) are making one of their favourite snacks ~ Mochi. It is an easy snack, can be healthy ( depending on what you decide to stuff it with) and is gluten free ( I love that!)

So please go check them out on my site on the Healthy Kids page. Just click on the recipe card!

And watch for them next month as they ventured int a local restaurant to create something really fun and creative!

Be well,

My kids have started school …..and now I am working, quietly except for my few YIPPPEEES, with no interruptions.

Every year before school starts I take them to visit their doctor. Since she became their doctor, this is the really the only time and reason we go see her. My older daughter always complains but I think it is important to establish a relationship with your doctor in case something does happen and you really need them.

Ok well this is what happened. Our health insurance changed this year and when I handed over the new cards the receptionist told me that the girls check up would not be covered. I was baffled. How could they not cover something clearly so preventative. And then later in the day I stumbled across this article, “Rate of severe childhood obesity up sharply in U.S.” Maybe if parents didn’t need to pay the $100 or so for the yearly check up, this number may not be so high!

I realize that no simple answer exists but do realize something needs to occur and that it will have to be multiply of things,for example, free yearly check ups, more outdoor play time (PE), and educating the children more about their bodies ( this is where Human Body Detectives could play a role).

Let me know what you think and what problems you may have with your insurance company.

Be well,

I have never really mentioned where you can purchase my book! Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape can be found on Amazon or on my Human Body Detectives site ( where there are also some free downloads!)

The book includes a 24 page workbook ( full of puzzles and games), 2 pages full color stickers and an audio cd.

And please watch the book trailer!

Be well,

Today we had out first Human Body Detectives book signing. Unfortunately, Pearl missed out on the first part as she had a soccer game, but did manage to enjoy most of the excitement.

We set up a table for people to ask questions and browse through the book, a table to listen to the theme song, watch the book trailer and do some colouring.

It was a lot of fun and I would like to thank everyone who came out to support me ( and for the library - Mr. K was a pleasure to work with!)

Our next book signing is scheduled on August 30th from 10am to noon at Huli Sues  on the Big Island. Hope to see some of you there( the HBD tattoos should be in by then for some added fun!)

Be well,

This is the last week of summer break. We have had a perfect summer combo of absolute craziness and absolute laziness ( some days the kids never got out of their PJs!) Now it is time to get back into a schedule and to get the kids immune system strong before they are back in a classroom with many kids ( and bugs!)

This is the plan….

1. Go to bed earlier ( all of us!)

2. Eat regular meals at regular times (this maybe hard!)

3. Start putting Berry Well in their morning smoothie ( this will be easy!)

And adding some Probiotics and definitely  Cod Liver Oil will be good. You can purchase some of these supplements at your local Health Food Store or through my site with Emerson Ecologics.

Be well,

This is one of the things  you find on the Healthy Kids page ( remember the recipe?) Well, I am so happy with the design of this page ( or the start of the evolution of the design……I now understand how things change when the creative juices begin flowing…very fun!)

If the full version is just too long for you, here is a shorter one.

hbd-shortened-theme-song

Have fun listening!

PS Nina with Jonesy created the graphic design and Gillian, also with Jonesy,  put it all together with her techno genius! Their site is super! Check it out when you have a chance.

The other morning Merrin emerged into the kitchen with one very PINK EYE! I just didn’t want to acknowledge  as treating pink eye naturally is really hard.  I ignored it for a while and then decided I really needed to be a proactive mom and doctor.

This is I wanted to do ( I have had great results with it in the past):

Make a Boric Acid eye rinse

I searched EVERYWHERE and I could not find any boric acid. Hmmm…not very orgnized lately I guess, however, I did stumble upon Wise Woman Herbals, EUPHRASIA EYEBRIGHT.

“Yippeee,” I said to myself happy that my best parent ever ego ( haha) was coming back!

Euphrasia Eyebright is very concentrated so I added a few drops to a good amount of saline, tested it out on my eye and then gently poured it into Merrin’s infected eye while wiping it clean. We did it a few times and then let it go. A few hours later we did it one more time despite the fact it looked perfect-the redness was gone!

I have to admit I was quite surprised at how fast it cleared up. The eyebright is now in perfect sight in my natural pharmacy and I have added it to my Emerson page in my shopping supplements section (remember the access code is 96742) for all of you to order. I highly suggest everyone have some Euphrasia Eyebright handy!

Be well,

Very recently, I decided to create a facebook fan page for my human body detectives series.

I am writing, adding pictures and just keeping everyone up to date with what me and my little hbds are up too. We have been super busy this summer and we could all use a little holiday. Too bad school starts soon but we are planning for a BIG trip for next summer!

Please become a fan! and pass this on!

Human Body Detectives on Facebook

Thanks for all your support!

This was the real deal! I was really excited ( and a tad nervous) but then became even more excited when I noticed that all of the musical sound equipment was made by a company called MANLEY! It seemed to be a sign….

Enjoy,

From the moment I suggested to Pearl that she might want to spend her music lesson coming up with a theme song for Human Body Detectives and hearing Pearl ask Jessica, the creativity was on this project did not stop! I never imagined it would get this far ( but deep down I hoped!)

Pearl and Jessica started the lyrics and  I tightened them up. Jessica then put the music to garage band, we went into Charles Broteman’s studio and did it live with Karl. Karl polished up the mix and VOILA!

I hope you love it!…..PS you will need to go to my site www.drheathernd.com and click on the Healthy Kids page to hear the final mix!

Enjoy!

This is exciting!

My husband is a general contractor who is LEED certified and is working towards getting schools and businesses to become more sustainable. There are so many ways for businesses to do this and if we have the government to help, well, that is fantastic!

Schools are becoming greener and it may not happen over night but it is in the works. Hawaii seems the ideal place to be putting “greener schools” into action as we have sun, wind and salt water. Let’s hope it happens!

Be well,

I have to agree with my friend who strongly states, “naturopaths have been saying this all along!” Yes, I have been saying this for a long time and have been promoting Nordic Naturals fish oils – it seems – forever!

I actually suggest fish oils (especially the DHA) for children who have been told they are too active (I kinda think this is a good thing…tough for the parents but great for the kid if directed the right way) and acting up at school. The fish oils nourish the nervous system and I have seen amazing results in children who take the oils – they relax enough to remember to think before they act (might be good for adults too!)

I also remember reading an article when Merrin was newly born about infants who took fish oils their first 5 years had higher IQs. That sold me and then realized that the not only was the higher IQ in the works but my kids were not getting sick. Fish oils are full of Vitamin A, which is fantastic for many things, including the immune system.

One important thing to remember is the quality of the fish oils and the species of fish. I use Nordic Naturals because of their high standards of quality control and heavy metal testing and we tend to primarily eat wild salmon, halibut and some local fish.

Be well,

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2008

Contact: Heather Manley, N.D.

Phone: 808-640-1159

HAWAII DOCTOR PUBLISHES EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURE STORY FOR KIDS

Hawaii Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Heather Manley, announces the release of Human Body
Detectives (HBD): The Lucky Escape, the first Activity Workbook and Audio CD in her HBD series.

HBD is a series of educational adventure stories where two young “Human Body Detectives,” Merrin and Pearl, magically enter different systems in the body to solve a health mystery. Through action packed fiction stories, listeners learn how the various systems work and what foods best fuel that system. The accompanying workbook filled with games and puzzles reinforces what kids have learned and help them further understand the importance of maintaining a healthy digestive system

As a physician and a mother, Manley discovered that there are no books currently on the market that help kids learn, in a fun way, about how their bodies works especially by focusing on a specific body systems. Her philosophy is that if children understand how their bodies work, they are more apt to make healthy food and lifestyle choices.

The activity workbook and audio CD, and DVD packages are geared to serve as tools for families, teachers and home school parents, to supplement current science and/or health curricula.

Manley’s goal is to expand the series to at least five books with corresponding DVD’s. HBD: The Battle with the Bugs is set for press in September 2009 and will be followed by adventures through the circulatory, nervous, and muscular systems.

The HBD: Lucky Escape release coordinates with the recent launch of Manley’s website, www.drheathernd.com. The site provides a resource for people, especially parents of young children, to learn about preventative health care and take charge of their family’s health.

Dr. Manley is a naturopathic physician licensed in the state of Hawaii. She is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Medicine and the Hawaii Naturopathic Medicine Association.

For more information and wholesale inquires, please visit www.humanbodydetectives.com, email drheather@drheathernd.com, or call 808-640-1159.

Just in case you missed it…here it is a again! And press release is on its’ way.

Enjoy!

That is my book trailer!

I am so excited to share this with you and not to mention that I am happy to have my book out there for everyone to see and hopefully buy!

Here it is! Enjoy! And please pass this on to all your friends!

You can learn more about HBD on my website and purchase the book on my site or Amazon.

Be well,