Baby Chicks Are Arriving!

The baby chicks are arriving at your local farm supply store and this brings back many memories for Mother about the arrival of my sisters and I.  Mother kept a baby book for us and I would like to share it with you.

March 2010

It was the 18th of March when we went to our local farm supply store and picked out Martha and her sisters.  They were so incredibly small and soft.  The children and I would sit and watch them under the heat lamp as they ran around peeping.  There is something soothing and therapeutic about watching chickens. 

Chocolate

Raising chicks is pretty easy to do but there are things that can go wrong and we experienced that first hand with our littlest chick,  Chocolate.  She had a "pasting" issue.  Basically, fecal matter gets stuck in their feathers (or fluff) and if this is not removed, the chick can die.  It is fairly easy to remove with a warm moistened paper towel but there are times when it has to be pulled off, and unfortunately the fluff gets ripped out as you do.

Martha

Chickens are adorable but not super bright.  They would poop in their water and food constantly, so I ended up cleaning their water container twice daily.  Given the amount they poop each day, it really helped using a "deep litter" for their habitat.  I used a 3 inch layer of pine pellets in their box and sprinkled a think layer of pine pellets over their refuse each day.  The chicks stayed clean and there was no odor in the garage, which was there home for the first two months.  The pine pellets look a lot like the adult feed, so we opted to continue feeding them "crumble" when they became adults.

The girls visit the great outdoors

We started taking the chicks outside for daytime visits when they were about a month and a half old.  They would huddle together and explore the yard together.  When one was separated from the other, they would all panic.  Their sisterhood was firmly established.

The new home

When warm nights were a guarantee, we had their new home built.  I went to such great lengths to ensure that it would be just the right size and that each hen would have their own nesting box.  It was quite a surprise to find that all three would sleep in the same nesting box together.  They use the other nesting boxes to lay eggs.  When one hen is laying an egg, another sits sentinel beside her.  Their relationship is a beautiful thing to behold.

Martha's Video of the Week

Santa Claus knows if you've been bad or good...

The best thing about the holiday season, for mother, is having the right motivation to keep children from getting into trouble.  Santa's "Naughty List" is always a great motivator for good behavior but it is amazing how easy it can be to forget and end up on the Naughty List!  Luckily, you can redeem yourself by completing three tasks:

1.  Do something nice - this could be as simple as picking up litter, drawing a picture for someone, making a gift, or going through your toys and giving something to charity.

2.  Say something nice - saying your sorry is a good place to start but sometimes this becomes so automatic that it loses sincerity.  Giving a complement to someone is a nice alternative.

3.  Help someone - holding the door for someone, help a person carry something, or ask someone if you can help them.

In essence, it is nothing more than good manners and just like they say on Blues Clues, "Manners show people you care" and isn't that a great theme for the holiday season?

Holy Basil and Fevers

A year ago, Papa had his tonsils removed but before he did, he was often sick.  It was common for Papa to run fevers that would reach 102 to 104 degrees, which is pretty serious for an adult.  In an attempt to find ways to bring down the fever but still allow the fever to do its important work, Mama started to research alternative treatments on the internet. 

Mama had some Holy Basil (Tulsi)  in the cupboard that she was told would reduce fevers but she didn't know how.  After searching the internet, it turns out that it is used in Ayurvedic medicine.  Finding an exact recipe was a challenge because most sights would generically say "In case of acute fevers, a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a liter of water and mixed with sugar and milk brings down the temperature."

It turns out that this concoction was able to reduce the fever by 1 to 2 degrees.  I know this seems insignificant but it kept Papa out of the emergency room and allowed the fever to do its job.  It tastes pretty good, too.

We do not recommend this as a treatment or cure.  You should always consult a health care provider before trying alternative treatments.

Chlorella and Autism

One of mother's favorite biomedical treatments for her son was Chlorella.  She first read about it on Dr. Mercola's website.  They had a testimonial about the benefits of Chlorella on an Autistic boy.  It claimed that Chlorella could remove heavy metals after about 3 months of use and it would improve healing time of wounds and bruises after using for a year.  Further research of Chlorella convinced mother that it was a pretty benign product that could potentially produce results.  

Mother started giving Chlorella to her daughter and son.  After 3 months, her son went from a vocabulary of 3 words to 85 words.  The time line coincided with the data from Mercola's website.  She was excited to share this information with her child's teachers and their response was, "it is not unusual for a child to have a verbal growth spurt, such as this".  So, was it the Chlorella or was it a growth spurt?  I guess we will never know but mother has her own opinion on that one.

Mother's son was 2 years old at the time.  He was given a combination of Chlorella and powdered probiotics for 2 years.  Today, he is 9 years old.  He has had the flu once in 7 years and a cold twice.  He rarely bruises.

Where the chlorella worked so well for her son, it showed no results for her daughter.  As with all biomedical treatments, results vary for every child, even siblings.  Consult your health care provider when considering an alternative therapy or biomedical treatment.

Note:  For best results, supplements in powder or tablet form are best.  Any supplement that comes in a capsule will be most effective when broken open and mixed in food or drink.  To make sure you aren't wasting your money, drop one pill into a glass of water and see if it breaks down or breaks open in 20 minutes.  Don't waste your money on supplements that will pass through your system unopened.

Equine Therapy for Autism

One of the therapies that Mother used for Autism was horseback riding.  The children loved it and it made Mother feel good to give the children a taste of her own upbringing, having been raised on a farm with Shetland ponies.  

The benefits of Equine therapy is best explained by an article Mother found on the Aspen Education website:

"Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding

Hippotherapy, which derives from the Greek word "hippo" for horse, is a physical therapy that is provided under a physician's supervision. It is usually used as part of a comprehensive therapeutic package. This type of program has benefits for children, youth, and adults that have physical and/or developmental disabilities. Therapeutic Riding has many of the same benefits, but it is more of a recreational riding program for the disabled and does not usually involve a physician's supervision.

Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding use the horse's multidimensional rhythmic movement, which resembles the natural walking gait of human's, to achieve specific therapeutic outcomes. Therapists help patients ride the horse in different positions, including sitting or laying forward, backward, or sideways; standing up in the stirrups; and riding on the horse without holding on. Specially trained physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language therapists use this therapy with autistic children and teenagers and kids with a wide range of other types of disabilities.

Hippotherapy is useful for:

• relaxing tight muscles
• increasing balance
• building muscle strength
• sharpening hand/eye coordination
• gaining a sense of body-awareness
• gaining a sense of self-control
• gaining a sense of self-confidence
• improving communication
• improving concentration
• improving socialization
• improving patience
• improving fine motor coordination
• improving sensory integration

The movement of the horse moves the rider's pelvis in the correct way, while also stimulating other bones, ligaments, and joints. A horse moves a person in more than one way, by tilting, rotating, and moving the rider, which would take a whole session of difficult physical therapy exercises to achieve. Sitting on a horse improves core muscle strength, muscle symmetry, balance, posture, flexibility, circulation, coordination, and breathing (which also makes it easier to speak). The autistic are unable to integrate their senses and understanding of how their bodies relate to external forces and surfaces; hippotherapy can greatly improve an autistic child's sense of their own bodies in space. Hippotherapy frequently does not use a saddle, allowing the child to receive sensations from the horse's movements, which makes a child aware of where parts of his or her body are in relation to the horse.

The excitement of riding encourages speech when the rider wants to communicate with the therapist and the horse. Non-verbal autistic children have suddenly started talking when they use the horse's name or ask the horse to get moving! The therapy provides a solid yet enjoyable period of time for stimulation and exercise.

The benefits experienced by kids with mental and emotional disabilities are also due to the special relationship they develop with the horse. The horses are specifically chosen and trained to be gentle, patient, and calm. The unconditional, non-judgmental aspect of the bond between the horse and the patient encourages the child to form an attachment and interaction with another living being, which is especially difficult for autistic kids to achieve. One of the greatest benefits of this type of therapy is the enjoyment kids get out of it. They don't even realize that they are participating in a therapeutic activity - it's just a lot of fun!

It should be noted, however, that the first time autistic children are introduced to hippotherapy, they often exhibit the type of behavior that often accompanies changes in their physical environment. This can include crying, screaming, having tantrums, and avoidance behaviors such as flopping down and becoming limp. The behavior almost always stops as soon as the child is on the horse and the horse starts moving, and the initial behavior is usually gone by the second time the child comes for therapy. The tantrums may be repeated every time there is some change, such as when the horse stops walking, but when the child is taught the noise or motion to get the horse to move again, the behavior stops.

Equine therapy gives autistic children a sense of themselves, their bodies, and increased contact and interaction with the surrounding world. The kids' self-confidence is greatly increased and they form a sense of competence by learning how to interact and work with their horse. These children quickly form attachments and relationships with the horse they ride, and this behavior is then expanded to include teachers, trainers, therapists, and family members". 

In Lieu of the Flu Shot

The company Boiron makes homeopathic flu prevention and relief products.  You are probably most familiar with OSCILLOCOCCINUM®, which is used when you already have the flu.  

Did you know that Dolisos/Boiron makes a preventative flu product that is called Influenzinum 9CH  and is commonly sold in Canadian pharmacies?  Thanks to the internet, those of us here in America can purchase it from the comfort of our home.  

Note: The Boiron Influenzinum 9C, sold commonly in America, are not the same as the Dolisos/Boiron Influenzinum 9CH.

The formula of Influenzinum 9CH changes each year according to the antegenic variations detected by the World Health Organization surveillance network.  The complimentary product that can be taken with Influenzinum 9CH is Thymulin 9CH.  Thymulin 9CH is made from oligopeptides that protects and supports the immune system from flu.

Dosage:

Take a 1 single dose tube of INFLUENZINUM 9CH per week for 5 consecutive weeks. This treatment may be administered to people of any age. For young children, dissolve the content of one tube in some water. On a different day, take a 1 single dose tube of THYMULIN 9CH per week for 5 consecutive weeks.

A much smaller amount of INFLUENZINUM 9CH and/or THYMULIN 9CH, such as a few granules, can be taken weekly throughout the winter months for those who want to further enhance protection.

Clinical Evaluation In Influenzal Infection:

A clinical study done on 100 patients followed during 2 winters tested the preventive effect of INFLUENZINUM 9 CH. The treatment was given in the fall with one single dose tube administered per week for 4 weeks, and one dose one month later.

Results: Before the treatment, 82% of the people involved had one episode of influenza each winter, or a similar infection.

1^st winter: 78% had neither influenza nor a cold, 11 % had a slight winter rhinitis with no influenza and 11 % had influenza or a cold.

2^nd winter: 85% had neither influenza nor a cold, 9 % had a slight winter rhinitis with no influenza and 6% had influenza or cold.

Excerpt from FLU: Alternative Treatments and Prevention
by Randall Neustaedter OMD, North Atlantic Books, 2005

In 1998 the French Society of Homeopathy conducted a survey of 23 homeopathic doctors concerning their use of Influenzinum as a flu preventive (Coulamy, 1998). The survey included use of Influenzinum over a 10 year period (1987-1998) in 453 patients. The protocol for the frequency of doses varied considerably among these doctors. Weekly doses were used by 26 percent of participants and monthly dosage by 23 percent. Another 16 percent used a weekly then monthly dosage plan, and 35 percent applied some other dosage protocol. 80 percent of respondents began treatment in the fall (September through November) and ended between February and April. In this French survey 70 percent of participants used a 9C strength of Influenzinum. (In the US one would assume a higher proportion of practitioners use a higher strength because of the different prescribing preferences between the two countries.)

Results of the survey were remarkable. In approximately 90 percent of the cases no instances of the flu occurred when Influenzinum was used preventively no matter what the dosage protocol. Among the physicians the effectiveness was deemed good to very good in 90 percent of the cases. In 5 percent there was no protective effect. Of the patients, 98 percent expressed a desire to take the same preventive treatment the following year. Certainly this confidence in homeopathic prevention among physicians with many years of experience and their patients speaks to the effectiveness of Influenzinum as a flu preventive. It should be noted that a clinical study that approaches statistical significance evaluating the preventive effects of any homeopathic preparation would probably be prohibitively expensive.