Making Changes

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A Change Will Do You Good

Get Out & Sweat

Clean House

Food & Shopping

Reduce Stresses

Take it Easy

          A Change Will Do You Good

We know many of you have never been on this side of the fence before. Jumping over may not be so easy. If you have to, just sit on it for a while and look at both sides from a higher point. Go ahead, we understand. The best way to do this is to get "out there’. Read some books, talk to others, join yahoo groups and local support groups. Attend conferences and lectures. We are here to help you with your decisions. We can not put everything into one neat website and even if we did we would hope you would still continue looking elsewhere. You need to be comfortable and confident in your decisions. Let no one pressure you or coerce you into doing something you are not sure of. We believe the human heart and spirit are intellectual ones. Let your conscience and instinct be your guide.

Start off slow and do what you can.

          GET OUT AND SWEAT

If you read the page "Why are our kids so sick" You know about the detoxification organs. The largest of these organs is the skin. Not only does the skin protect us, but, it has tons of little pores to let things out. We breathe through our skin so to speak. Pimples and rashes are examples of the body excreting the unwanted. A great way to increase the process of detoxification through your skin is to sweat. Get your child outside. Run, jump, hop and skip. If you are dealing with poor muscle control and coordination this may not be as easy but just being outside in the fresh air and sun will be beneficial. Don’t be afraid of the sun. Sunshine is loaded with Vitamin D and sunlight provides oxygen. Perhaps avoiding the hottest part of the day is wise. Also protecting your skin with light clothing and a hat in certain parts of the country is advisable but please don’t use sunblock. The goal here is to remove unwanted particles via the skin. You do not want to block the pores with lotion.

Saunas have also shown to be beneficial. Some doctors use these in their offices and then later may suggest you purchase one. Not all saunas are the same and we suggest using one under the supervision of a professional.

          CLEAN HOUSE

Making your home a cleaner environment is essential. Sometimes this may appear costly but do what you can now, with some long term goals in mind.

Open the windows! It is O.K to be a little chilly, put on a sweater. If it’s too hot then you’ll sweat and that’s good. Don’t overheat yourself though. Drink lots of water. We are not going to give you any guidelines here, just drink lots of water.

Use a water filter. If too costly then drink only natural spring water. Some are better then others. We had Deer Park water tested and it tested well. Bathing in unfiltered water can create toxin absorption. Imagine sitting in a tub of hot water for a half hour, which opens up the pores, allowing chlorine and other contaminants into your body. Too much pool swimming can effect some as well. Your local pool store can help you with alternatives to chlorine.

Purchase an air filter. We really do not like to promote products but HEPA has been suggested by some. Shop around. Perhaps, something else is more suitable for you.

Buy houseplants. They help clean the air. Spider plants are one of the best.

Change bedding. Hopefully your child spends 8 to 10 hours a day there.

Mattresses, pillows and box springs should not contain rubber urethane foam or synthetic fabrics. The best is 100% cotton. Use a metal or wood bed frame and only clean with Borax or baking soda. Other furniture should also be wood or metal. Do not use plastics.

100% cotton sheets, blankets and clothing are the best. Throw out your polyesters and do not use dry cleaning. Wash sheets, clothes, towels and blankets in a non -toxic detergent. Many health food stores carry these and sometimes you can buy them bulk directly through the company for wholesale prices.

Flooring and walls are important too. Remove old dusty carpets. Wood and tile is best but avoid varnishes and harsh chemicals. If you now have vinyl or plywood, cover with cotton rugs, sheets or towels. Also clean with Borax or baking soda. You do not want to use harsh cleaning products that may emit odors. Many are very sensitive to the slightest of smells.

Do not do any new painting right now but if you must you can purchase odor free paints. You may have to special order at your paint store but it will be worth the wait.

Obviously "cleaning house" is not going to happen over night. Again, do what is feasible now and work on making changes when you can.

          Food & Shopping

Start thinking differently. Try to be as natural and organic as possible. Change the way you grocery shop. Make most of your produce organic. If not, wash it well. There are some products on the market targeted specifically for washing fruits and vegetables. You can also use a water and lemon rinse. Buy produce that is in season. Think about it. What do they do to those watermelons and strawberries to make them grow in the winter?

Grass fed meat is the best. These animals are able to roam around free in the pasture eating what they were intended to eat. The grass is sun soaked with Vitamin D and the bugs are protein and nutrient rich from the soils. Cows and chickens should not be caged or fed soy, corn and sawdust. Because of these animals living conditions they often get ill. They are then pumped up with antibiotics.

If you have ever tasted an egg from a free roaming chicken you know what we are talking about. The flavor is incredible. It is loaded with DHA and essential fatty acids like Omega 3’s. Crack open an egg from a free roaming chicken then open another from a factory and just "SEE" the difference.

Most cows today, are given growth hormones so they can produce 3 to 4 times more milk then normal. They are fed grains that are sprayed with highly carcenogenic pesticides.

We at The E.C.H.O. Foundation suggest organic milk but raw is best. Raw dairy means unpasteurized and unhomogenized. These are high heat processes that are said to eliminate bacteria. But there is good bacteria we need to keep a balanced gut environment. Pastuerization destroys Vitamins A, D, B12 and B6 as well as natural enzymes. Drinking raw milk and milk products may eliminate the purchasing of enzymes, probiotics and certain vitamins that so many are doing today.

Diseases that milk where associated with back in the 20’s were not due to unpasteurization but poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. Now we have sanitary tanks and refrigerated trucks. This eliminates the need for pasteurization.

Today milk has gotten a bad name because of the allergies it is linked to as well as heart disease and cancer. These problems were rare before pasteurization and livestock manipulations.

Man has been consuming raw dairy for centuries. Milk is not the problem. It is what we have done to the vital food source. Unfortunately finding raw dairy is not that easy. We find it horrific to say it is illegal in some states. Please visit www.realmilk.com for information on the benefits of raw dairy and where to purchase.

Other food choices should be made. Start reading ingredients. Honestly, if you can’t pronounce it, you should not be eating it. Some things such as additives should always be avoided. These are known as excotitins, and cause neurological distress.

Additives are artificial food colorings, dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives such as:

MSG, BHT, BHA, FD & C colors, Nitrates, Polysorbates, Aspartame, Saccharin, Vanillin. Avoid fillers, binders and natural flavorings. . Don’t let the word natural delude you. Lots of substances are "natural" but we wouldn’t want to eat them.

The term "whole foods’ is becoming more common. Whole foods means nothing artificial is added. If it is not made in nature it is not a "whole food". Unfortunately finding whole foods is not so easy in your local grocery store. Learning to read labels takes time and practice. You will soon learn what to look for and what not to buy. You may come home after 3 hours of label reading with only 2 small bags of groceries, but that’s OK. It’s a start.

Now let’s move on to toiletries. Soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc. All of these too contain ingredients you may not want your child exposed to. Again go as natural as possible. You may spend a small fortune for these products in the health food stores but you can make some yourself as well. Remember Grandma who used to use baking soda for toothpaste or eggs for washing her hair? Maybe you are not that old. If you are feeling adventurous, check out this website. http://www.soapnaturally.org/recindex.html

It literally has over a hundred recipes for soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, etc.

There is also a lot of controversy surrounding the facts about flouride in our toothpaste and water supply.

An interesting site to visit about this is http://www.fluoridealert.org but we suggest you just read the back of your toothpaste and see the warning.

Environments outside the home may be a little harder to control such as schools, libraries, offices etc. There has been a lot of "news" in the making about toxic schools. With the heavy use of cleaning agents and pesticides your child may be exposed to high levels of toxins. Many kids who seem fine at home go into moldy schools and get headaches, runny noses and/or become lethargic, unable to concentrate or focus. Add a school lunch loaded with sugar, food dyes and preservatives and you have created a recipe for confusion

 

          REDUCE STRESSES

 

We live in an overloaded society. Our 5 senses are bombarded on a daily basis. When it comes to your home you can make the environment a bit easier on the eyes and ears. Minimize clutter. Keep things simple and organized. Use low lighting. Keep noises to a minimum. Don’t have the T.V. on in every room as well as the computer, dishwasher and clothes dryer in the background. Even adding pleasant relaxing smells can calm the body. Essential oils have worked for centuries in calming the senses.

Relaxation tips such as Yoga, meditating, massage and reflexology are all ways to reduce stress and increase oxygen flow to the brain and body.

Yoga and meditation is said to relax the respiratory system, help with concentration and mental awareness creating a state of calm. We can all use some of that. Yoga is becoming very popular and finding a class book or video is easy to do. Do not think you need to become a yogi to achieve some of the benefits of yoga. Yoga is now marketed towards children, especially those with special needs.

See www.childrensyoga.com for more on this subject.

Today, massage therapies are much more advanced. There are Swedish massage, Rolfing, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue etc. Some techniques may not be right for you. Do some research on the different styles and check with a physician before having a deep muscle massage that may apply too much pressure.

Some lighter touch therapies are Reiki, Eslan massage and the Feldenkrais method.

We discuss reflexology, another touch therapy, on our treatment page. Please read further on the benefits of this ancient technique.

All in all massage promotes muscle relaxation , blood flow, and lymphatic circulation which can reduce stresses and enhance healing.

 

          TAKE IT EASY

All these suggestions and options are going to take awhile to get used to. You may become frustrated or overwhelmed. If so, slow down. Step back, take a look at what you have done and be happy for that. Once you get comfortable in what you are doing move on to the next step. REMEMBER., Every individual is different. We all have different economic, social and educational backgrounds. Don’t worry what Johnny’s mother is doing. Do what you can for you and your family. Speaking of families and friends, be prepared for some strange looks and rude comments. People just can’t help themselves when it comes to minding their own business. They voice their opinions and comments because they only want to help, but truth is, they are not living in your shoes. Don’t let others persuade you into changing what your heart is saying. We have spoken with so many parents that say they just can’t change the child’s diet because of all the pressure from friends, families and school. Be strong. It is YOUR child. You may lose some friends and family over this but in the end your child will be better off.

Besides we know you will like the difference. It is hard to believe that once you start feeling better or seeing progress in your child you would ever want to go back. Like the great song writer Sheryl Crow says, "I think a change, would do you good"

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 TheEchoFound@bellsouth

Phone: (772) 873-0911