Health – Page 2 – Home's Cool!

That Darling Spot

Posted on August 30, 2014April 30, 2017 by Katharine

I live in a small town, outside a small town, actually, which puts me smack in the middle of nowhere. And I like it.

I remember when I followed a map and my husband’s instructions and finally, finally arrived at this place, with one of my daughters-in-law in the front seat of my car, and her baby in the back. I remember when we got out of the car I said to her, “Listen!”

She stopped and did not shut the car door, straining to hear something.

I said, “What do you hear?”

Since I was grinning in pleasure, she knew what I was hearing, and answered, “Nothin’!”

“Nothin’,” I repeated.

And mostly, that’s how it is out here.

Quiet. Calm. Safe.

And so, after years of being here, content as can be, I’ve begun thinking of all we do not have.

And I cannot think of a thing I’d add.

Why, just today, near a town of fewer than 300 population, I found a great place to work out (both strength and aerobics), tan, and sauna.

While I was at it, I got my yardwork done for free.

Just cannot beat it. 😉

Believe it or not!, Christian Persecution, Health

Should an Ill Mother Have Any Rights?

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Katharine

A most horrific case of the State taking over in a family’s life, stripping them of all rights! Read this introduction and please click through to see the whole outrageous and terrifying story:

Even Sick Mothers Have Rights

HSLDA Seeks Justice for Mom Accused of Faking Her Kids’ Illness

When parents have a sick child, the last thing they should have to worry about is being falsely accused of child abuse. Unfortunately, this appears to be a more and more frequent pattern in the United States.

HSLDA is undertaking a new case that reveals a very troubling example of this problem. Any of us could be this family. We could be the parents falsely accused of abuse. We could be the ones who have our children removed from us at the very moment when they most need us—when they are genuinely ill.

Lane Funkhouser, his wife Susan, and their two children (whom we will call James and Kat) were all very sick. They went to their family doctor, who was unable to diagnose the problem.

Because the children were not getting better, their attendance at public school became an issue. So Lane and Susan decided that they would homeschool James and Kat while they searched for a diagnosis and treatment.

School officials filed truancy charges against the family, which were quickly dismissed. But, as a result of these charges, the family became embroiled with a social worker named Michael Austin, an investigator for the Clarke County, Virginia, Department of Social Services (DSS).

False Diagnosis

Austin is not a doctor. He is not a nurse. He is not a psychologist. He is not a medical professional of any stripe.

But Austin determined that Susan was suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. This outdated term refers to a psychological disorder in which a parent contends that her child is ill to draw attention to herself. It is extremely rare, and it requires a proper diagnosis by a qualified professional.

There’s one thing we know for sure about this case: laboratory results showed that the children were actually sick with difficult-to-treat illnesses, and it was not the result of Munchausen by proxy.

Now go here and see how much worse it became and why we must keep watch over our homes!

Health, Science, Wisdom

How to Kick that Soda Pop Can on Down the Road

Posted on April 11, 2014February 23, 2015 by Katharine

It’s an addiction.

That’s not a fun thing to hear, but I know you want the truth.

And I’m not just talking about the caffeine or the sugar.

We all hear more every day about how bad carbonated beverages are for us, just for the carbonation, let alone all the fakefood ingredients. It’s a wonder we aren’t all sick and dying of weird stuff.

Wait. Half of us are, right?

It is so hard! But you can do it.*

Okay. The best way to get off is to go in stages, in my opinion. Here are the stages I found helped me.

Kick the caffeine, first. If you are drinking pop with caffeine, switch to non-caffeinated. Why? Because of all the addictions offered up in these drinks, caffeine is the easiest to break. It’s not that caffeine is bad. It can even save your life, But to kick the soda can, you need to drop the caffeinated sodas and if you need caffeine, find another source such as coffee, tea, or chocolate or just do without and save caffeine for when you really need it, or special occasions. Such as mornings!
Dropping caffeine, cold turkey, will give you a mild headache–easily treatable with low doses of pain reliever–and lethargy, for about 3 days. That’s it!
We have a few long weekends coming up, soon . . .
Kick the aspartame. Why? It is the worst part of pop, if you drink sugar-free. Recent research is revealing that habitually consuming aspartame can cause tendencies to heart attack and stroke, and eventually will sabotage weight loss. You can switch to caffeine-free pop or tea that is sweetened with stevia. Or you can drink unsweetened tea, which develops it’s own sweet taste once you no longer are drowning yourself in sweetener.
Think about it. Aspartame has a mile-long list of bad effects, and is addictive.
The withdrawal symptoms, which will last around 21 days, include a headache in the middle of the forehead. mood swings, and flu symptoms. You’ve been drinking poison all the time, after all.
You will sleep better, and feel better all over, if you go through this.
Kick the addiction to something sweet or carb-loaded going down all the time. Why? The tendency toward constant self-gratification is not good for us, and when it comes to sugar, it leads to diabetes.The addiction, though, is what has gotten us all in this boat, in the first place. God made sweet things, yes, but He also cautions against gluttony. I wonder why.
To kick the need for sweets, merely stop eating sugar and starches. You may think I’m joking, but I am not. That will kill the entire problem. Drop all foods with sugar, starch, or sweeteners of any kind. Allow yourself only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. It will take about 21 days of truth-telling to yourself, to manage this, because sugar is a true addiction, too. Many other addictions are based on it, such as addiction to alcohol, to chocolate, and to bread or potatoes.
Sugar/starch withdrawal symptoms include: Deep cravings for anything with carbohydrates in it, almost overwhelming lethargy, mood swings, and self-lying. Yes, you will lie to yourself and your body will lie to you, telling you that you are about to die for lack of a huge glass of orange juice, or some such. Just drink a huge glass of water and rest for awhile. The craving will pass, only to return. After three or four days, you will have overcome the feeling of dying and will be able to recognize the cravings for the lies they are.

But here is the final and big reason for kicking sugars/starches out the door: They feed cancer.

That’s right: Many cancers cannot survive if they don’t get their sugar high. Starve them away as best you can, while they are yet too small to detect. Your doctor does not know this or has not connected the dots, but you can and should drop sugars and carbohydrates, at least for 21 days. After that, you will be able to feel when you’ve had too much and will be able to control yourself much better, and even to digest the natural sugars in fruits much better. So drop sugar.

And Nutra-Sweet/Aspartame.

And Sucralose.

At least.

__________________________

*Especially if your health is unstable, please ask an intelligent and sympathetic doctor to monitor your health while you drop these addictions! I am not a doctor, but have quoted several doctors, above. I just know how great it feels to be addiction-free, and hope you will find this same great feeling, too.

What is Aspartame?

Health, Home School

Beth

Posted on February 7, 2014July 19, 2023 by Katharine

Tuesday, around noon, Beth and her husband were chatting on the sofa. She started having trouble forming her words and controlling her right hand. Her husband would not normally have been home but was sick so had stayed home from work (thankful for a sinus infection.) He called 911.

They got her to the hospital nearby and then she was transferred to the big one in the big city.

The current diagnosis is a hemorrhagic stroke. The neurosurgeon said it is basically in the worst place it could be. The CT scan showed it roughly 1.5 inches by 3 inches and “deep.” There is almost certainly some significant damage to the brain already. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, Beth will not make it. Surgery is an option but the surgeon said it rarely goes well.

Beth and I are old friends from back when we both homeschooled. We’ve shared so much. Although we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like, we never get really out of touch. You know how that goes.

Only now, we are really out of touch. All anyone can do is pray.

Lots of things could have been worse. She could have many small children; her only child is grown, employed, and happily married. She could have been alone; her husband was right there in the same room. She could have been afraid, but even in her current state, she is able to receive calming influence from her husband. She can see. She can indicate understanding by moving her eyes. She is in a very good hospital.

Hard to be thankful when all I really want is to go back in time.

Health, Homemaking, Inspiring

Cabin Fever and Its Cure

Posted on December 10, 2013February 9, 2017 by Katharine

Stuck.

Many people have been stuck inside all day for many days.

Many people and their children have been stuck inside all day for many days.

Results?

CABIN FEVER

too bored to move The symptoms can look like a dread disease and fool even the wisest of moms:

Lethargy
Depression
Loss of appetite

It’s enough to make a mom lay a hand on the forehead or neck of a child and check for fever, but in the case of cabin fever, there is no fever.

I know.

That’s because the cause is not a germ or virus, but just a lack of exercise, whether physical or mental or spiritual.

However, there is a cure. Yay!

So here’s how you cure spirit, mind, and body:

Be thankful. You can make it fun:

Make a box with a slot in the top and decorate it. Write things you are thankful for in the box, all day long, or as a ritual every morning, and slip them into the box. OR
Write your “thankful things” on long strips of brightly-colored paper and use the strips to make a paper chain you hang all around your living room.
Hide little prizes (wrapped cookie, quarter, or small toy such as a ball, nail decal sheet, etc.) in messy places and teach them to clean the place a bit and find the prizes, for which they then say, “I’m so thankful I cleaned under my bed (in the toy box, on the shelf, in the dresser drawer, etc.) because I found this prize! Thanks, Mom!”

Play games. Games can be themed on the snow days:

Have a picnic in the hot sun. Place a blanket and sun umbrella on the floor and turn on many lights, even a heat lamp or sun lamp, if you have them (be careful!), and even use a fan for a slight breeze. Play sunshiny music. Fix regular picnic food, whatever that means for you all. Have a picnic!
Cut out really huge paper snowflakes by folding shiny wrapping paper into a six-sided wedge shape (you know, as for doilies, tutorial links below) and cutting out large chunks of it to leave a lacy snowflake design when unfolded. Or do small ones as in this photo, and pin to sheer curtains or tape to windows, etc.
Build marshmallow snowmen using peanut butter for glue. Build marshmallow snow forts. Have marshmallow-blowing contests across the top of the kitchen table, etc.

Exercise. Good mental and emotional health depends on good bodily health and exercise is often the missing ingredient when children are cooped up and acting “feverish”. You’ll have to lead a bit more in this one, but:

Flip through all the ring tones available on your cell phone and dance or march to the music.
Race each other at cleaning a personal space with a prize to the winner. This rewards those who keep the personal spaces tidy to begin with.
Rearrange the house. Make them help. Try moving the couch or the bed to another side or in the middle. Also discuss why you like or don’t like the changes. Rearrange it back if you don’t like it.

Pretend. If you have lights and water, etc., try pretending you don’t. This will REALLY lengthen your paper chain, above. Pretend you have to:

Use a candle or flashlight in every dark place; don’t turn on the lights when it gets dark, just for one evening.
Heat water for washing dishes on the stove and wash them by hand, for one day.
Carry water from an outdoor spigot to flush the toilet, for a day. The rules are: after you use the toilet, you have to fetch a bucket of water for the next person. No excuses.

Last, but not least, get some sun and fresh air. Require they go outdoors at least for fifteen minutes and expose face and hands to the sun. It will do wonders. Explain how they need the sun on their skin to feel healthy and how much this will help with their sluggish feelings. Then prepare to be amazed.

Okay. I hope I got your day going. Just think: Spring is right around the corner. Yay!

Pollen is so tiny, yet so troublesome to us, yet so necessary!

Coffee-ism, Health, Herbs, Who's the mom here?

Seven Steps to Stop the Sneezing!

Posted on September 30, 2013September 30, 2017 by Katharine

I have noticed it’s that time of year again–lots of searches leading to this one again.

Enjoy.

Itchy eyes, ears, nose, throat; runny eyes, nose; stuffy nose; and cough are just a few of the delights that visit us each year, if we are among the pollen afflicted.

It’s Fall Fever. This is a made-up name for the Fall malady that corresponds to Hay Fever which happens in Spring.

And it makes us feel like yuck.

Outside of chemicalizing oneself half to death, what can a person do?

I have found several ways to beat autumn’s ragweed, and I’d love to share them with you.

The first thing I do is eat honey all year long.
Not just any honey will do. It must be raw, as in uncooked. If the label isn’t boasting, the honey probably isn’t raw.
It also must be native, as in: from the area where you live. Even better is from someone you actually know exists.*
Why? Honey contains minuscule flower parts in various forms, and eating it daily helps me beat my pollen allergies, like an immunization.
Outside of honey, I avoid all sugars.
Sugar kills immunities, especially the super-processed sugars.
I take vitamin C. A lot.
Vitamin C is supposed to help with the body’s immunities, so is what I need. Also, for me, the things I’ve read about Vitamin C acting as a mild antihistamine are true.
They say you can tell how much you need when you develop loose stools. They say to cut back a bit if that happens. I usually take 1000-2000 milligrams per day, in divided doses.
(Addendum to the 9/13 posting: One teenager I’ve recently met had sneezing so bad that his nose would bleed regularly. After only two 500 mg doses of Vitamin C, he stopped with both symptoms. Now he uses only one dose per day for upkeep.)
I wash my face a lot, and even rinse my eyes with artificial tears.
Every time I feel the pollen effect, I wash it off. Notice the above magnified photo of pollen: It looks prickly like cactus. No wonder it bothers sensitive tissues!
After washing, I apply a coating of lotion, or even make-up, to my face to make a barrier between my skin and pollen. That also helps me.
I stay indoors and keep windows shut.
I know, some cannot do this, but remember, the pollen is out there, not in here.
(Addendum for 9/13: This is especially true during the hours from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.)
If I find myself still miserable, I use heat on my face.
I run a basin of hot water and dip water from it with a washcloth to hold on my face, renewing as it cools. Or I stand in the shower with hot water spraying on my face.
Do NOT scald yourself!
It takes 10 or 15 minutes, but this wet heat draws out the histamines in my body. Histamines are what cause allergic reactions, what anti-histamines circumvent. As the heat applied to my face draws out the histamines, my face is itchy and my nose grows stuffy. When that itching stops, all the histamines my body could produce are out. Most bodies cannot produce any more for 4 to 8 hours.
That’s hours.
Of no itching, sneezing, stuffy nose, watery eyes, etc. It’s plenty of time to take a nap, go to a restaurant, or visit a friend like a normal person.
If I happen to become wheezy, I drink hot coffee.
Coffee is supposed to be a good emergency substitute for asthma drugs. I don’t have asthma, but hot coffee helps me breathe when the pollen count is high.

There you have it: what I do instead of taking pills. Sometimes, when it really is tough outside, I have to add pills to my regimen, but not often.

I love not being tied to chemicals, all drowsy or else wired to the sky.

*I’m sure it would shock you to learn that it is quite legal for our honey to have corn syrup in it in large percentages, and for it to come from any country in the world. So stick with a local, known source.

Note for 8/10/13: So many folks have searched and found this page using the terms “sneezing first thing in the morning” I’ve decided to add my opinion, for what it’s worth.
I have noticed that the body shuts down some responses and reactions during sleep. Perhaps you have had the experience of sleeping through a loud storm or sleeping with a headache. It probably is a merciful mechanism that allows us sleep in spite of life’s difficulties.
I have noticed that when I am really sick with a cold, I might cough all night, and that might be good, but once I begin to recover, I also begin sleeping more peacefully, which I am sure also is good. However, on those mornings, I must cough lots to make up for lost time.
Could it be that sneezing is the same? We don’t sneeze at night, so we can sleep, but then comes the morning? Just thinking out loud, here.

Well, well, well!

Okay, friends and family: Today my eye doctor pronounced my left eye “PERFECT!”, according to the ultrasound they did.

I am excited, as was he. I think he felt pretty proud of himself for being part of returning health to my left eye.

He also said, “IF we can get it to HOLD…” meaning if it stays this way and doesn’t revert to it’s old habit of leakage.

I had non-diabetic macular edema. (nDME)

So we know how to pray, right?

Thanks!

Download Macular Edema – Pipeline Review, H2 2011 e-book (ofpawan.wordpress.com)