Alas, what I got instead was a night of wretched vomiting.  My stomach let me know, in no uncertain terms that it was not happy with my choice.  In a full body rebellion, I could swear I lost some stomach lining in my body’s ultra-efficient attempt to purge the offending salad – and everything else to which it came into contact.  Any mental or spiritual fortitude that ascribe to myself is generous, as it turns out.  I wanted to die.

I have seen patients for over a decade now with symptoms far worse than mine, symptoms they have learned to tolerate on a daily basis in exchange for moments of life’s pleasures – people with cancer, auto-immune disease, crippling sciatic pain.  To all of them, I raise my hat and give my utmost respect.  Apparently, I can’t handle for one night what many – and here, my late father-in-law comes to mind,– will endure for days and months, just for the joy of a few more months, days, hours with people they love, or one more bowl of ice cream, or one more look at the ocean.  At the end of my father-in-law’s life, as he vomited every day in the late stages of pancreatic cancer, he never once said he wanted to die.  In fact, he could only express the opposite – and with great determination, until the very end.

I would be ashamed of myself for my lack of  courage and will in incomparably dissimilar (ie minor) circumstances,

but instead I’ve decided, there are so many illnesses and states of dis-ease children and adults have to endure without easy remedies, that I would get back in the game and share the easy remedies for things we DO know how to make better – including a little case of food poisoning.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention, when it comes to the subject of stomach upsets, large and small, that sometimes the very best thing is to let your body get the offending substances out of its system.  That may mean tolerating the unpleasantness of vomiting and diarrhea, rather than allowing toxins or viruses to linger.  Sometimes, however, the upset can be remedied with a few simple ingredients, and at the very least, a measure of comfort can be provided to get you, or your child back on their feet again quickly.  Here are some remedies for nausea, vomiting, food poisoning, and even chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, all of which I consider to be safe and effective for children over age two, as well as adults:

1. Check out the chapter in Mommy’s ER on <a href=”http://www.mommyser.com/DEHYDRATION.html”>dehydration</a>.  Most complications from food poisoning and other gastro-intestinal viruses arise from becoming dehydrated, and this is actually quite easy to prevent. Included in the chapter are homemade recipes for gentle oral rehydration… One note, a stomach that’s been vomiting is often inflamed and easily triggered, so sip, one tablespoon every 10 minutes if that’s all you or your child can handle, but keep it up!

2. Take a spoonful or make a tea from umeboshi plum paste.  Both Aviva Jill Romm and Janet Zand give wonderful variations on umeboshi-kuzu teas for vomiting and food poisoning.  At the least, take ¼ – 1/2 teaspoon of umeboshi plum paste (usually found in the ethnic/Japanese section of your grocery store or an Asian market) and either swallow it as is (or place on your child’s tongue to swallow – don’t worry, its not unpleasant) or dissolve it in 1 cup of boiling water. This is a great thing to put on your natural medicine cabinet list of supplies to have on hand.   If you have it, add 1 Tablespoon of Kuzu powder (another good one to have on hand), and 1 teaspoon of natural soy sauce.  Mix it all up and drink — and keep drinking, ½ cup 4-5 times throughout the following day, or as needed.

3.  Ginger, ginger, ginger.  It wasn’t enough to stop my bout with food poisoning, but it was a godsend for morning sickness during my second pregnancy, and especially soothing to little stomachs.  Cut two to three ¼-1/2 inch thick pieces off of ginger root, and steep for 15 minutes in boiling water.  Let cool before drinking.  If you or your child has severe chills or diarrhea, you can add up to ½ teaspoon of cinammon. You can also add grated ginger, ginger powder, or ginger juice to your umeboshi tea.

4. Peppermint tea is a wonderful soother for post-food-poisoning and stomach unrest.  It soothes and cools, and often reduces nausea.  Most importantly after food poisoning, it can help to rekindle your child’s (or your own) appetite.

Even as these remedies help, your stomach settles, and your appetite returns, think bland, and go slowly!  Simple starches, diluted fruit juice are good starters.  Wait on fatty foods and dairy products for at least 24 hours.  These are a bit trickier for your system to digest.  Or, go with my Jewish father’s motto (a man for whom food = love):  if you’ve been sick and you crave it, then eat it!

Natural remedies – and in fact, all remedies, attempt to serve the higher function of returning us to a place where we can enjoy life’s pleasures, large and small.  That’s a goal that I suspect drove my father-in-law, my patients, and hopefully this blog.  And to those who find pleasure in the midst of discomfort and pain, I can offer anew my deepest respect and gratitude for reminding me that increasing, augmenting and enhancing our joyful experience of life is what medicine is all about.

According to the latest information from the CDC, Swine Flu is a viral respiratory illness caused by the type A influenza virus.  Symptoms are typical to the seasonal flu, and range from chills, fevers, headache, cough, sore throat and fatigue.  Some unlucky recipients also get visited with vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.

So far, swine flu and seasonal flu have a lot in common – swine flu is responsive to certain antiviral medications that MDs and hospitals have at their disposal,  it changes progressively as it spreads (sounds scary, but this too is typical of many viruses, like the common cold and flu), and ranges in its level of severity.  So what makes swine flu different (and scarier) than the flu strains with which we are familiar?  Well, perhaps the scariest element is the unknown.  In the United States so far, cases have remained relatively mild.  In Mexico, however, cases have been far more severe, affecting healthy adults (usually those who are already ill, elderly, or otherwise immune-compromised are hardest hit.)  In the end, it’s what we still don’t know about this virus that’s the most frightening.

If you believe your child has been exposed to the Swine Flu, it’s a good time to check in with your primary health provider.  If however, you are among the millions of parents with children that feel like you’re playing a waiting game, here are 10 things that you can do now to improve your child’s health and immune system.

1.  Wash hands, and wash hands again.

At this point in our understanding of swine flu, (and the common cold and other viruses), the virus can be passed from person to person, child to child, by exposure to germs – primarily spread from the coughing and sneezing of infected people.  The CDC estimates that swine flu, (again in common with many other viruses,) can stay alive for at least up to two hours on surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs.   The single best way to avoid exposure this way is to have your child wash their hands frequently – and with soap.   Worried about their thoroughness?  Have them sing the “happy birthday” song thru in its entirety, while they rub their hands and fingers with the soap.  When they’re finished singing, it’s time to rinse the soap off.

2. Reduce or eliminate white sugar from your child’s diet.

Kids love the taste of sugar.  Breastmilk and formula are sweet by nature, and in Chinese Medicine, foods with a naturally-occurring sweet taste are considered nourishing and easy to digest – in small quantities.  The trouble is that in the standard modern American diet, we consume a lot of sugar – in cakes, cookies, sodas, fruit juices, and even foods that we don’t associate with being a sweet, like crackers, cereals and ketchup.  When you add it all up, there’s a strong chance that your child is consuming more sugar than it might seem.

Here’s the thing that no one told me when my son was a baby.  Sugar can lower your child’s (and your own) immune system function almost immediately. In particular, sugar can reduce the ability of white blood cells to digest and destroy bacteria.  According to research reported by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the effect of this immune system drop lasts for five hours, or more. If your child is fighting off an invader already, this could be just the drop that bacteria or virus is waiting for.  If your child is ingesting sugar continuously throughout the day, even in small quantities, his or her immune system may be in a constant state of depressed function.

White sugar is especially hard on your child’s system.  It has been processed, bleached, and all mineral content that exists in many of its original sources is lost.  It breaks down so rapidly in the body that its almost like an i.v. of glucose into your child’s system – which can cause spikes in blood sugar to the brain and other organs, and stress on your child’s pancreas and general digestive tract.

Sugars in their natural form still need to be used with real moderation – after all, they are still sugar, and can still have an effect on your child’s immune system, especially in larger quantities.  However, in their natural form, they still contain essential minerals, and generally have a lower glycemic index – meaning that they break down more slowly in your child’s body – minimizing the blood sugar peaks-and-valleys.  When you are going to use sugar in baking or to sweeten, consider using:

o    Maple syrup or maple crystals
o    Honey – in children over the age of one (in baking, can be sweeter than sugar, may have to modify accordingly)
o    Molasses
o    Brown rice syrup (slightly less sweet than sugar, may have to be combined with other natural sweeteners)
o    Agave nectar
o    Apple juice or other fruit sweetener

Cooking and using new sweeteners can cause some initial adjusting.  For example, if it’s a liquid sweetener, you may need to use less of some other liquid in your recipe.  If you’re using honey, agave, or maple syrup, you may find you need 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of sweetener to achieve the same level of sweetness.  It just takes a little bit of practice.  For more information on cooking with natural sweeteners, there are also some great cookbooks devoted just to this… Please don’t substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar here – we have found that they can be quite difficult for a child’s system to recognize and detoxify.  The idea is more to bring back sweet choices with more nutritional merit, while still giving your child the sweet flavor she or he enjoys.

Sugar cravings can result from an imbalance of intestinal flora or excessive intestinal yeast in your child’s body – which can come from a history of  antibiotic usage, a diet high in sugar, or following illness.  Sugar cravings can also result from insufficient nutrition – such as too little lean protein or beneficial fatty acids.  Sweet-tooths can also be from mineral deficiencies – sometimes chromium, or other minerals are implicated. If your child has a real sweet-tooth, we suggest that you consult with a qualified nutritionist.

3.  Give your Child Vitamin C — and more Vitamin C.

Almost all animals create their own vitamin C  — it’s that important.  Human beings don’t – we need it from the food we eat and the supplements we take.  In addition to being responsible for over 300 bodily functions, your child’s immune system needs vitamin  C to run at peak levels.  Without enough of it, your child is more likely to get sick more often and stay sick longer.   It’s one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants.  And because vitamin C is water-soluble, our bodies don’t store it, so your child needs to get the vitamin C s/he needs daily.

Vitamin C is found in predominantly in fruits and vegetables.  Oranges have the most well-known reputation, but other fruits and veggies have as much vitamin C as oranges or more:  kiwis, mangoes, papayas, red bell peppers are all high in vitamin C.  Also try acerola (a west Indian cherry with over 1600mg of vitamin C per cup – compare that to 80mg in one orange!).  Acerola can be found by itself in your health food store, or more often as juice, that can be mixed into other juices or smoothies.  Try also goji berries, a sweet-and-salty fruit that looks like a raisin – we mix it into our son’s oatmeal, it can even be eaten as a snack on its own, or even baked into bread…

If your child has a history of low immunity, I like incorporating a high-quality buffered vitamin c supplement – taken to bowel tolerance.  This can be even 250-500 grams of vitamin C 2-3 times a day (especially when your child’s immune system is under stress) – your child’s body will keep what it needs, and pee out the rest.  If your child’s poop gets loose when she takes the vitamin c, reduce the dosage.   If you have reason to suspect that your child has been exposed to swine flu, or another viral infection, you can increase the number of times per day that you supplement his or her vitamin C intake.

4. Consider Other Beneficial Supplements.

Probiotics, whether from yogurt, or in supplement form, can also play an important role in bolstering your child’s digestive health and immunity.  Some research suggests that children with high levels of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria  in their intestines – the good bacteria found in many probiotics are less likely to get infections than those with sub-optimal levels.  Levels can get low from heredity, diet, illnesses, history of frequent antibiotic use.  Probiotics may also be added to your child’s bathwater for some gentle exposure.

If your child is recovering from illness, looking frail, or suffering from lowered immunity, you may also try giving them royal jelly – up to 75mg for 50 lbs of body weight.  Royal jelly – the food that transforms a worker bee into a queen bee, thereby living 20 times longer! – is considered by some nutritionists to be one of nature’s most perfect food sources.  If your child is having any issues with food malabsorption or malnutrition, this may prove particularly effective.

Astragalus  has long been used by Chinese medicine (and also is grown here in the U.S.) as one of the most effective ingredients in any immune tonic.  Research has shown that astragalus increases the activity of macrophages (immune cells that ‘eat’ unwanted visitors) and the production of T-lymphocytes (white blood cells that are capable of seeking out and destroying viral proteins.) For children especially, astragalus can also work very well on its own, made into a tea or broth.  Astragalus is a member of the pea family, with a long membraneous root.  It’s the root that is useful here, and comes dried, resembling a tongue depressor.   Put 3-4 pieces of the astragalus into boiling water, and simmer for 25 minutes.  You can have your child drink this with miso paste or bouillon for a simple broth, or add 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1 white onion, 2 carrots, parsley and shitake mushrooms for an incredible immune-bolstering soup.  Astragalus can often be purchased as a tincture from your local health food store as well, and is a particularly good choice if your child has swollen glands.

**A word on supplements here.  Not all supplements are created equal.  We love these immune-enhancing suggestions in general, but some forms of vitamins and nutrients are more bio-available and easy for your child’s body to break down.  Please ask your practitioner, or nutritionist for suggestions.  A reputable health food store may also prove to be a good resource.

5.  Maintain a healthy diet for your child.

A well-balanced diet, may be, above all, the most important gift that you can give your child for their current and later health.  The more nutrition research that’s done, the more it emerges that an adult’s health, general constitution, brain development and number of fat cells in their body is very influenced by their diets as a child.  This occurs at the biological level.  As your child reaches developmental milestones, it is important that the nutrients required for growth are available to them.

Research also now shows that deficiencies in certain nutrients can lower your child’s immune system.  Folic acid tends to be the most common deficiency, and can increase your child’s susceptibility to infection.  Other vitamins that mediate immune response, and can cause lowered immune function when their levels are low are: vitamin c, a, e, certain b vitamins, magnesium, copper, and iron.  You’ll need to consult with a qualified nutritionist to know if your child is deficient in any of these nutrients, and, if so, which ones.  Preventatively, however, a well-balanced diet is your best defense.

So what constitutes good nutrition for a child? Variety is a key component in making sure your child gets a good mix of the nutrients she or he needs.  Here is a very basic list of things that most children should be getting on a daily basis:

“good” fats:  essential fatty acids, found in flax oil, avocados, wild salmon, nut butters, cold-pressed vegetable oils – - olive oil, safflower oil, walnut oil;  should be about 20-25 % of their total calories  (margarine, partially hydrogenated oils should be avoided here;  butter and saturated fats should be only moderately used)
proteins:  such as beans, poultry, eggs, meat, fish, nuts and seeds; should be about 15-25% of their total calories
complex carbohydrates:  such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, whole fruit;  should be about 50-60% of total calories
vegetables and fruits: should be between 4 and 6 servings per day;  at least 3-4 should be vegetables.  A “serving” is approximately 1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable, except leafy greens, where a serving size is 1 cup

I recommend eating organic and locally grown foods as a part of healthy nutrition.  Organic foods tend to keep higher nutrient levels, and are easier on your child’s system;  it gives them less to fight against – no more pesticides or chemicals to fill their ‘rain barrels’.  Locally grown foods preserve more nutrients due to less transit time between being picked and getting to your table.  Its also great because what’s grown locally may be what’s exactly right for your child in your climate, at your time of year.

6.  Become an expert on your child’s poop (and general digestive health).

In most Eastern Medicine, boosting your child’s immune system begins with supporting their digestive tract.  In recent years, western science supports this connection between immunity and the gut – recent studies show that the majority  of our immune cells reside in our intestines.

One important way to assess your child’s immune health can be by observing their bowel movements.  Some variation in stools is normal. When you start noticing patterns developing however that may indicate a digestive problem that may be affecting your child’s immune system. Examples of problems would be a tendency toward constipation, loose stools, undigested food in the stool, pain in the belly or when passing a stool, lots of gas, or alternating diarrhea and constipation, consistent foul smell to your child’s poop.  Any of these as longstanding patterns warrant a trip to your primary health provider.

Constipation, in particular, is an important imbalance to consider when assessing your child’s immune system.  If your child is having a bowel movement less than once a day, is straining and struggling, and/or the movements seem ‘incomplete’, this could be interfering with your child’s ability to absorb nutrients, and weakening their immune system (as waste gets reabsorbed into the bloodstream thru the walls of the large intestine, and intestinal flora becomes imbalanced).   If constipation is an issue for your child, make sure your child is drinking enough water and getting enough fiber in his or her diet.  You can also make your child flaxseed tea – 1 Tblsp. of flax seeds in one cup of boiling water, left to soak overnight and taken in the morning can be a big help.    For abdominal massage techniques and acupressure to stimulate your child’s bowels, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBClcTBa40U&amp;feature=channel_page.

There are some other basic mealtime suggestions that can improve your child’s digestive and immune health.  We recommend that mealtimes are as calm as possible and that children are expected to sit down to eat.  We also recommend that parents reduce snacking.  Constant snacking requires that a kid’s digestive system is constantly working.  Focusing on fixed regular mealtimes helps regulate the system.

Another easy way for parents to help support their child’s system is to provide warm cooked foods at mealtimes on a regular basis, especially if your child is frail, pale, tends toward loose stools, or is recovering from illness. Children’s digestive systems are not “up and running” like an adult’s, so they may not be effectively breaking down food without some help from your oven or stove.  The way Chinese medicine looks at it is that the breakdown of food creates energy in the body but also requires energy to digest.  In particular if your child’s system is tired from illness, fatigue, or is showing signs that it is having trouble breaking down food on its own, in the form of loose stools, gas, bloating, undigested food in the stool, offering your child cooked bland foods can help them to rebuild, without expending energy on digestion.  Grandma was on the right track when she made up chicken soup!

If your child tends to be more robust, however, to run hot, be sweaty, red in the face, maybe even tending toward constipation, including some raw veggies, salads, seeds and nuts may have a more beneficial and even cooling effect.

You may also consider incorporating digestive enzymes with your child’s meals. You can have your child take them immediately after eating to improve food breakdown, or I’ve known parents to break open capsules of enzymes and sprinkle them directly into their child’s food.   You can also get them directly from papaya and pineapple (sometimes a little at the end of a meal can provide nice results.)  Ask at your local grocery or health food store for their favorite digestive enzymes for your child.

7.  Help your children get their ZZZs.

A few words on healthy sleep – This may seem basic, but one of my great struggles as a parent was to understand that the amount of sleep my son needed, and the amount of sleep he thought he needed were two different things.  While his enthusiasm for playing and reading books and exploring has always trumped his desire to sleep, without his beauty sleep his health and immune system suffers.

So what is the right amount of sleep for a child?  Well, it really depends on your child, and the age of your child, but in general, your child should be getting from 10-12 hours of sleep per night from the ages of 4-6, at least 10 hours from the ages of 6-9, and at least nine hours from the age of 9 to 12.  These are just averages.  Your child may need a little less or little more, but if they are way off of this range, it might be worth exploring any factors that may be interfering with your child’s sleep.

Going to sleep requires a certain type of “letting go” and for some kids this may be difficult.  For the sensitive or really active kids often this transition may be even more difficult.  I often find the key to sleep problems occur during the day.  Parents will need to look closely at the amount of stimulation kids receive.  Scary movies, a very hot day, new foods, or lots of transition may create the occasional bout of insomnia or nighttime waking.  The focus here is to help your child’s nervous system unwind.
If your child is having a hard time unwinding a nice warm bath with some lavender oil or chamomile in it may help.  Lavender and chamomile have relaxing properties and the water element can also help to move your child into a more receptive or sleepy state.
After a nice long soak you can incorporate some massage to help your child relax more. With your child stretched out in a warm place on their towel you can gently work on their feet or their heads. In general massaging the feet helps to bring the energy down.    Some children prefer to have her heads gently rubbed.  As you massage your child check in to find out what feels relaxing to them.

You can also try chamomilla, a gentle homeopathic remedy to relieve nervousness and irritability, and to relax tension in your child.  Homeopathics come as little sweet white pills that are dissolved under the tongue at least 15-20 minutes before eating.  They are extremely gentle, which makes them an easy remedy for children.  Sold at different potencies, start out by giving your child 6x potency, 3 times during the day, or right before bed for mild relaxation.   You can also try Sleepytime Tea, a Celestial Seasonings® blend that includes chamomile, along with lemongrass,  spearmint and orange blossoms.  Traditional Medicinals® also makes a wonderful organic nighty-night tea with chamomile for children.

In Chinese medicine, the time of night that your child sleeps and the quality of that sleep can be even more important than the number of hours she gets.  Sleep is the time when the energy of your body cycles through all of the organ systems, and traditional Chinese wisdom believes that the hours between 9pm and 12am may be the most important hours for your child’s body to detoxify.  Some practitioners even believe that one hour during this window is equal to 2 hours the rest of the night.  Experiment with the time you are putting your child to bed.  If your child goes to bed late, try lowering his bedtime by 1/2 hour each night over the course of the week, and see if you notice a difference in his behavior, energy and tendency toward illness.  In some children, just the time that they go to bed can make a profound difference in the quality of their sleep cycle.

In general, most children in our culture do not get as much sleep as their little bodies actually need to grow, detoxify, process, and function properly.   One of the single most effective steps you can take as a parent to improve and support your child’s health is to ensure healthy and adequate sleep. If your child is having trouble winding down or staying asleep, please refer to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO7FEkv-DJk for tips.

8.  Try gentle massage and acupressure.

To strengthen your child’s immune system, I also recommend doing basic acupressure and massage techniques daily.   Parents can use the digestive massage techniques of spinal rolling, tummy circles, belly massage and acupressure.

For video demonstration of these techniques, check out http://www.youtube.com/mommyser.

All of these techniques help to regulate the digestive system and the bowels.  They also improve autonomic nervous system functioning, the system with which is responsible for regulating your child’s (and your own) immune functions.  We encourage parents to incorporate some or all of these techniques into your child’s nightly routine, much like brushing their teeth, five to ten minutes a night.

9. Eliminate Environmental Irritants

Why look at environmental irritants in the context of building immunity against swine flu?  Undetected environmental sensitivities and allergies have a generalized impact on the immune system, kind of like a mystery movie, where someone is getting poisoned a little undetectable bit at a time.  Your child may get colds, flus, even have behavioral changes and trouble sleeping aggravated by simple factors in the environments in which they live. Reducing your child’s exposure to common household substances, pet danders, or outdoor pollens to which they may be reacting poorly may reduce a constant barrage against their immune systems.

Here’s a list of some other things you can ask yourself, or start to notice as you look at your child’s different environments – home, school, out-of-doors.
_    Is this an old house?  Does it smell ‘musty’ when I walk in after having been away?   …  you may want to have your house checked for mold.
_    Is this a new house – two years or less?  Do I notice any new house smells when I’ve been away?
_    Do we have pets?  Do my child’s symptoms get better or worse when they spend time on the floor in our house or playing with the pets?
_    Does my child experience any physical or behavioral changes after getting vaccines, flu shots, taking any medications, getting surgery or dental work done?  … we are NOT saying don’t do these things, but if your child is having a response, it could be a sign his or her ‘toxic load’ is already too high to handle something new – again like the last drop that makes the barrel overflow.
_    How does my child’s daycare smell when I first walk in?  Is it a new building? An old building?
_    Do we have scented candles, room deodorizers, incense sticks in our house?
_    Do we clean infrequently?  How often are things dusted?
_    Do we use a lot of chemicals, bleach, etc to clean our house?  How’s my child’s energy, behavior, sleep, on days when its just been cleaned?
_    Does anyone smoke in our house?
_    How old are our pipes and our paint? Is our paint peeling Have our water pipes and our house been checked for lead contamination?

If you are answering yes to any of these questions, the best solution is usually eliminating the possible irritant.  However, this is not always the most practical solution.  Incorporating vitamin C in difficult environments can be a very beneficial practice for your child, getting them extra antioxidants that their bodies can use to cope.
Solutions can also be simple, such as moving beloved pets out of your child’s room at night, or even calling their bedrooms a no-pet zone.

Incorporating green plants into your home can also provide a simple solution – green plants help to clean up our air quality and help to provide us an oxygen-rich environment.  Specific plants that are noted for their ability to detoxify their environment are peace lilies, gerber daisies, bamboo palms,  Phillodendron, golden pothos, and spider plants have been found by NASA to best clear formaldehyde (a preservative used in cabinets and other woods, insulations, even new clothes) from the environment.  Dracaena massangeana, boston fern, ficus, lady palm, miniature date palm, rubber plants and chrysanthemums were also rated as good at removing toxic substances from the air.

Ionizing air purifiers are another line of defense against the pollutants that enter your home environment.  Just make sure that if your air purifier does produce ozone, that you only leave it on when you are away from the house.  Ozone can be very hard on the sensitive lining of your child’s lungs and respiratory tract.

Mineral salt baths, or baths using dead sea salts can also be a way to remove toxic buildup on and through your child’s skin.  You can see its calming effect as well – I see it especially with my son if I bathe him with mineral salts two nights or more in a row.  Just make sure to rinse your child off afterward thoroughly with glycerin soap.

Finally, a word on children who live with smokers  or are exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke on a regular basis.   Children with parents who smoke are admitted to the hospital with what has been estimated as 28% more frequency than children who are not exposed to cigarette smoke.  Some of this may be due to the fact that exposure to cigarette smoke lowers levels of antioxidants vitamin e and vitamin c.  It also is aggravating to the tender tissue of their little lungs.  If your child is an environment with secondhand smoke, and quitting is not an option, you may consider establishing an outdoor smoking area, away from your child’s play area.  Keep an indoor ozone-free air purifier in the house if you can.  Change your filters frequently.  Keep a lot of green plants around.  You may also choose to supplement your child with buffered vitamin c supplements daily, to replenish what is lost from second-hand smoke exposure.

Provide a Loving and Low Stress Home for your Child.

We all love our children (if you didn’t, I doubt you’d even be reading this article), but providing a low-stress home can be more difficult, especially, if, as a parent you’re feeling stressed and overtired – which is, perhaps, subject for another article, and one I may not be as qualified to write.   My best suggestions for a typical 21st century household?  Number One: be sure that you are taking care of yourself – like the favorite airplane analogy: put on your mask first, then assist your child.  Make sure that you, as a parent, are following the preceding nine suggestions as best you can, getting adequate sleep, exercise, nutrients and rest.  It is easiest for our children to get on board the behaviors that we are modeling to them.

Research on emotions is now uncovering that our emotional states can be even more contagious than our physical ailments.   If we’re stressed, our child can pick up on that…and stress is the number one enemy of healthy immunity.    Just one more excuse to indulge in that bubble bath, fit in a run or golf game, or take your favorite yoga class…

For your child, make sure that s/he or he is getting plenty of exercise, time with easygoing friends, time outdoors.  Make sure they are getting extra touch from you.  Even just rubbing my son’s arm as I read to him can noticeably improve his calm and our connection.  These are the stress relievers of children.

The suggestions I give here are not remedies for swine flu, they are not meant to be.   However, one old Chinese proverb says, “a man is not sick because he has an illness.  He has an illness because he is sick.”   If your child’s immune system is healthy, it can tackle invaders that we will never know have been there.  We may not be able to control our children’s exposure to swine flu, but we can help them to be ready and healthy in the face of any exposure.   As always, a healthy immune system is the universal remedy.

Baby, it's cold outside...

The truth is, I didn’t even notice that his nose needed blowing (there wasn’t any thick oozing gunk halfway down to his lip, and isn’t that the universal time for a tissue?).

My son continues to look stunned, and finally passes the tissue lightly across his face, in hopes, I’d imagine, of putting this perplexing nose-blowing issue to rest. My son, after all, has been raised, for better or worse, in a household that rarely mandates anything besides toothbrushing and vegetables for dinner. Nose-blowing we generally leave to his discretion, unless it’s evoking a physical response of discomfort in me as the observer. Pick your battles, I say. Apparently, his friend’s mother has a different threshold.

She tries again one more time, and at this point, to diffuse the situation, which, by the way, probably has layered cultural nuances as well – she’s Ukranian, I’m American, and we’re speaking to each other in French – I start to explain on his behalf… ‘He’s not sick,’ I say. ‘His nose has been running like this since the weather got cold.’ ‘He’s got no other symptoms,’ I tack on as an after-thought. Worries about the “grippe” (aka flu, aka Swine Flu) run high here in France, and a whiff of less-than-optimal health might weed Aidan out of good company for the rest of the season.

“Have you tried a coat?” This comment is not as catty as it sounds, merely inquisitive and helpful, if not painfully obvious. I look down then at my son and realize, while I am wearing knee-high boots, heavy pants, a wool sweater, a scarf and a leather jacket, he is wearing a collared tee-shirt and a light sweater. No coat, no scarf. Thank god I remembered his socks. I fumble around in my mama-size purse and triumphantly pull out a light coat. He immediately shakes his mop of hair at me. No Way. “He doesn’t like coats,” I explain, which is true, at least this morning.

In order to bring meaning to the absolute incomprehensibility of this last remark to my new Ukranian friend, I’d have to harken back to my school of parenting that over the last year or two – and as my son crawls into my bed and arranges himself perpendicularly to maximize the space he takes up at 3am when all of my friends’ children have been sleeping gracefully in their own beds – I have called into question more than once. I belong to the ‘don’t stifle their free will’ camp, which has inadvertently turned into occasional and indefensible permissiveness. I don’t think my French or her culture will accommodate this discussion, so I let it hang in the air between us. ‘He doesn’t like coats.’ She shrugs her shoulders and gives me a smile, then bends down and carefully adjusts the buttons and zippers on her own son’s arctic-ready outerwear, just like the parents who raised me might have done thirty-some years ago.

There’s a warmth in the sudden memories of my parents that she evokes with her routine gesture of adjusting her son’s jacket, a safety in it. ‘Someone is looking out for my welfare, so I am free to play’. I wonder if I have entrusted my son with too much responsibility for these day-to-day decisions, even when issues of health may be involved. I also wonder, quite earnestly, if my son’s nose is, in fact, running for the last three weeks due to his lack of seasonally-appropriate clothing — and for a second I seriously consider if I need to give up my profession in kids health care entirely.

I have since decided to stay in my field. If a little more embarrassment on my part (and if you wonder why I say ‘more’, refer to the night I fed him chocolate eclair before bed) might glean something useful for others, well, consider this another one for the team. I’ve been thinking about the runny nose and cough that I see most frequently at this time of year in my clinic, and now wonder if the first words of wisdom I should give my clients are, “have you tried a coat?”

While it is not technically true that the change in seasons, or being too cold or hot can actually cause illness – viruses, bacteria and other invaders coupled with an immune system not up to the job do that – it does seem to be true, from as far back as eastern medical texts go, that not keeping your body’s temperature comfortable does represent an attack on the immune system, sometimes big, sometimes just small, but constant over time (a window left open at night while sleeping when the temperature has dropped too low, going too long in flip-flops (my own favorite sin), or waiting to pull the winter wear out of storage). And if something as day-to-day and easy to remedy as weather-ready clothing can make a difference, think how much difference it would make if we take our natural remedies for the runny nose and cough that are so common at this season just a little step further. Lets talk about easy ways to take those first signs of runny nose or cough, and stop them before they become part of our winter holidays.

1. When your town’s weather changes from warm to cold, keep your child’s neck warm. Chinese medicine has long held that the neck is where ‘invasions of cold’ first enter. A light scarf is great, even before its time for parkas.

2. At first signs of a runny nose, begin a regimen of digestive enzymes, with protease. Proteolytic enzymes reduce inflammation, break down mucus, and bolster digestion – which has a big role in immunity. A couple of enzymes on an empty stomach and before bed can play a great preventative role. (In our house, we break the capsules open and put them in just a little bit of maple syrup, which turns it into a treat.)

3. If your child shows any signs of impacted mucous in his or her nose, use a salt-water nasal spray. You can make your own, by combining ¼-1/2 teaspoon of non-iodized salt with 8 oz of water and ½ teaspoon of baking soda (just use a couple of drops, its not necessary to use all 8 oz), or buy one over the counter, in spray or drop form. If you buy one over the counter, buy one without additives or preservatives, which can be very irritating. It’s important to keep the mucous soft and running out, so it doesn’t make a home in the sinuses or ears, as breeding grounds for bacteria.

4. If your child shows first signs of a cough, get your kitchen ready, with slippery elm bark powder, loquat syrup, lemons and honey. Slippery elm bark is the inner bark of the tree, that forms a gelatinous fiber when added to liquid. It has been used for

tip #6: acupressure for cough

centuries by Native Americans for cough, and is considered quite safe, even for young children. It tastes sweet, and can be placed in warm water or apple juice – usually 1 teaspoon is sufficient for a cough, or even sprinkled onto oatmeal or other foods. Aviva Jill Romm, in her book on Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, outlines a great recipe for slippery bark cough lozenges, made from two tablespoons of slippery elm powder, and enough honey to give it the consistency of dough. Then roll the dough “into a long, thin snake” and cut it into bite-size pieces, about ¼ inch thick. For children under 15 months old, try using maple syrup instead of honey, and only if they’re already accustomed to solid foods. One thing to know about slippery elm, and many cough remedies: Eastern medicine links the lungs to the large intestine – they’re considered a pair, which means the way one functions has effects on the other. The advent of this relationship is not particularly surprising if we consider that many naturally-occurring cough remedies are also constipation remedies. Don’t be surprised if stools get a little looser, although back off on any remedy if stools get consistently watery or contain a lot of undigested food.

Loquat syrup is a mentholated syrup that is readily accessible in Asian markets and, I’ve noticed lately, in health food stores. It tastes great – to kids that is, I think it is cloying sweet – and stops mild coughs almost instantly in many cases. This is also a very safe remedy for young children.

Finally, lemons are one of nature’s treasures for antimicrobial activity (ie virus and bacteria killing). A little warm home-made lemonade, sweetened with honey – which has its own antimicrobial effects, and you’ve got an ultra-effective, safe and inexpensive cough syrup. Again, for kids under 15 months, skip the honey, and try a little maple syrup instead.

5. If your child tends toward dry cough, get bananas, daikon radish and pears ready. If your child’s cough is non-productive – in other words, they are not coughing out mucus – and it sounds raspy and dry, rather than wet and croupy, try bananas, sliced and cooked into a thick stew – this is old Chinese nutritional wisdom, as bananas have lubricating properties. Also try daikon radish, grated and steamed with a little sea salt – this is great for many coughs, especially the kind that’s dry, or that seems to be making little one cranky.  Cooked pears are excellent at alleviating symptoms of a ‘hot’ cough – a cough accompanied by flushed face, fever, and sometimes, not always, green mucous – they are also great for a dry cough.

6. Finally, get your hands ready to do some acupressure and massage. For this, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll refer

aidan, doing his own acupressure

you to my video clips from Mommy’s ER, which include a myriad of easy pressure points you can massage with your thumb, and points for back massage as well.

And put your kid’s coat on, honey. It’s cold out there. ☺

and he's off...first day of school

summer is something it’s not. Still, this summer has been fun, and I will certainly look back on Summer 09 – and all the Summers for that matter – with the careful, instinctual editing that allows us our nostalgia, and the capacity to make decisions like having multiple children via natural childbirth, trying that uber-complicated lasagna recipe again, inviting the in-laws to stay for a month, and all sorts of other fun, ‘summer vacation-like’ activities we would not necessarily afford ourselves if our memories were crystal clear.

So on to Mommy Vacation…although, in the interests of full disclosure, Mommy’s Vacation so far has turned into a parade of strange illnesses, ailments, rashes, remedies-gone-awry, even something resembling the flu – all for me, not him. This has given rise to new thoughts about Mommy’s ER, namely, that in all of the focus I have placed on Back-to-School Health in the last month (check out the homepage for some fun interviews I got to do in August and Natural Awakenings magazine for a back-to-school health piece), I forgot that Mommy’s ER isn’t called Kid’s ER for a reason. Mommy’s health may also take a hit in the Back-to-School calm after the storm, in much the same way that many friends and clients report getting sick the minute they go somewhere exotic away from home. We don’t usually get sick when adrenaline and cortisol, our stress hormones are pumping hard, but the stress still will take its toll as soon as we relax, or before, if we don’t give ourselves the same consideration we spend the summer giving our kids.

I never get sick, well, almost never – my first year in an acupuncture clinic a decade ago left my immune system strong after months of guerilla warfare. But the stresses of moving, setting up temporary residence in France, entertaining a fantastic number of out-of-towners in need of a Parisian holiday, and eating more food ‘tartare’ than I am willing to admit were enough to break down my resistances… Coupled with a list of twenty-five items in French I needed to buy in 2 days time for my son’s first day of school – or risk being responsible for his complete embarrassment and social alienation — may have been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. After safely delivering him to his second week of class, now confident that I could keep this routine going happily for the requisite months ahead, I was side-swiped by an immune system on overload.

One bladder infection, one flu-ish virus, and one case of food poisoning later (I only wish I could blame it on some snobbish French chef, but my hubby and I agreed on route to the loo that it was probably my ‘detox’-soup-gone-bad that was the culprit), I have done some very personal reconnaissance on natural remedies for Mommys: what works, what doesn’t, and what works but tastes so awful that it’s just not worth it. ☺ I could write an anecdotal research paper on the learning from every illness, but I thought I’d ease back in today, and instead give you what wisdom I have to protect your immune system and keep yourself from getting sick in the first place. As a side note: you may notice that many of these suggestions look an awful lot like the suggestions I give for children. This to me seems almost poetically perfect – it’s a true case of ‘physician, heal thyself.’

1. Give yourself a bedtime.

In most of my back-to-school talks, I talk about the trials and tribulations of getting your child back into a night-time routine that allows them to get the sleep their bodies so desperately need to grow, rebuild, repair. While we as mamas may not be growing – not physically anyway, predictable and solid sleep is just as important for us as it is for our little ones. Now I’m not talking about insomnia and disturbed sleep today, although this is such an important topic for moms, but I’m talking about those of us who generally sleep well, but just don’t allot ourselves enough time for it. I don’t know about you (I am willing to happily concede that many of you may be far more chipper in the mornings than I have been lately), but I think the first few mornings of school were harder on me than on my son. I had to get up an hour before him to make sure his lunch was packed, breakfast was ready, and above all, that his ‘uniform’ — a red tee-shirt with a lightning bolt which was mistakenly gifted to him on his first

the lightning shirt in action

birthday in a size that now fits like a belly tee – had been laundered… again. Still, I didn’t go to bed any earlier than I had been going to bed all summer. As soon as I assigned myself an 11pm bedtime on weeknights (feel free to choose one that works for you, the important point here is that it is consistent, and set in only-slightly-malleable stone), I no longer gave myself the leeway to tackle that last work project, or fit in that last French-dubbed Tudors episode. The work will still be there, and history has already been written anyway – I know what happens to Anne Boleyn – and this way I give myself unapologetic permission for stopping the never-ending clean-up work or the never-ending desire to ‘unwind’ that is otherwise – well, never-ending.

2. Back to Grandma-s Chicken Soup: make yourself an immune-boosting brew

One of my favorite Autumn recipes these days is also one of the easiest. At least once a week, I brew up my own version of Grandma’s Chicken Soup. Chicken broth, in fact, does have immune bolstering properties (grandma was right), but this can also be made with water and a little miso. Get out your quart size pot, and throw in four carrots, 1-3 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, and as many shitake mushrooms as you can afford – at least 4-6 (dried and reconstituted in warm water is fine), and you have yourself a GREAT immune brew. I like to add some greens and maybe some soba noodles, or you can go traditional with chicken chunks and big fat egg noodles – that’s up to you. The important part is to incorporate the beta-carotene of the carrots, and the amazing immune-boosting properties of shitakes. The immune activity of shitake mushrooms is attributed to a polysaccharide they contain called lentinan (which has been shown in studies to bolster the immune systems of immuno-compromised HIV patients, have anticancer effects, and even fight the flu with more efficacy than some prescription drugs).

If you think you are really on the verge of getting sick, take yourself to your nearest Asian grocery store or herbal store, or even stock up online, with astragalus (also known as Huang Qi in Chinese). 4 tongue-depressor-like pieces of astragalus can give your immune system an even greater boost, (you may want to omit the astragalus if you have a serious auto-immune condition, although the thinking on this varies).

3. Up your vitamin C

We tell our children to drink their OJ, but at back to school time, I recommend taking this a step further and including mama in the higher doses of vitamin C… (as another side-note, many of the children I see are allergic to orange juice, so do much better with the following recommendations… me too, for that matter). Consider getting yourself a high-quality vitamin C supplement, or upping your intake if you already take one. Vitamin C is a rare miracle of nature in that you cannot overdose on it – your body simply will not use more than it needs – so you can take 1000-3000 mg in divided doses throughout the day with peace of mind. If your stools start to get loose (if I don’t mention it, who will? ☺) , back off on the amount you are taking. You can also get great doses of vitamin C from acai berries or juice, goji berries – or as my family calls them, ‘expensive, salty raisins’ that can be put in your oatmeal or eaten by the handful, and any kind of citrus. You can back off this regimen after the initial few weeks of school have passed, or keep it up – vitamin C is also great for taking environmental pollutants and rendering them harmless, always an immune bonus.

4. Probiotics

I occasionally get a little bit self-conscious about my constant lecture and article mantra that the majority of our immune system resides in the gut, but it is such valuable info in our understanding of our health, that I’ll repeat it here for any mama who has missed it. The mucosal lining in the intestines is our primary line of defense against most invaders hitting our system to begin with, and the beneficial bacteria that resides in our guts is responsible for hindering the passage of or downright eliminating over 500 kinds of microbes that are pathogenic and opportunistic (think 500 ex-boyfriends just waiting at your door with your beneficial bacteria as your bouncer holding the keys). The trouble is, most of us were children of the ‘60s and ‘70s, when breast-feeding was not so a la mode – which, studies show, significantly impacts the amount and variety of beneficial bacteria in our systems, even into adulthood. We were also children of the sexual and dermatologic revolution – even the most conservative among us has possibly taken birth control pills and/or antibiotics, both of which can wreak havoc on our gut flora. SO, at back to school time especially, consider incorporating more beneficial bacteria – either in the form of yogurt, or probiotic supplements, or both. When I’m looking for a probiotic supplement, I look for a variety of bacterias, and I tend to rotate my brand of probiotic (when I finish one, I buy a different kind, and rotate thru my favorite brands this way, cyclically), because each brand and batch is going to be a little bit different. I take it in the morning on an empty stomach (when my stomach acid is low – helps to keep the probiotics alive). Probiotics don’t just help immunity – they actually help your body to produce certain B vitamins and to repair intestinal damage – both of which can really help your immune system as well.

5. Omega 3 fatty acids

Great for brain and nervous system function, improved memory, and cognitive functioning that we associate with back-to-school, omega 3s are also immune system regulators. I started out by taking my son’s strawberry chewy omegas out of part curiosity and full laziness (whatever bottle I have in my hand is what we’re all getting that day ☺). After actually NOTICING that I felt “smoother”, for lack of a better word, on the days I stole his supplements, I decided to invest in my own (I have since asked around and decided that it is completely kosher to eat my son’s, at double the dose). Omega 3s are now one of my “desert island drugs” (– my variation on my French teacher’s favorite game, what book would you bring to a desert island. She’s ruthless and only allows me only one book. I, on the other hand, will allow up to five supplements…)

In addition to being a vital immune nutrient, omega-3s play roles in preventing depression, heart disease, premature births, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, Alzheimers, and helping to alleviate inappropriate immune responses such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s and lupus. There is much research and published information on omega-3s, but the bottom line is this: one of the best sources, fish oil, should only be taken daily on a supplemental basis because of the amount of mercury in fish today. For vegetarians, algae-based DHA supplements are an exellent source of omega 3s as well. You want to get a supplement that is high in EPAs and DHAs that can really best be found in fish and micro-algae. Flax oil is a wonderful nutritional supplement and has ALA (alpha-linoleic acid) that can be converted into EPA and DHA, but in some people this conversion is difficult, which is why a good EPA/DHA supplement should be incorporated into your routine as well. It will help your immune system stay strong. And if it helps you feel smarter and ‘smoother’ like me (I’m not afraid to let the placebo effect it surely has on me work alongside the great research), so much the better…

6. Exercise

Again and again we hear it, and hopefully we do it, for all kinds of reasons. (does walking up five flights of stairs in our delightfully elevator-free 17th century building with groceries or a sacked-out six year old count? My 9th grade P.E. teacher would be so pleased.) This time the reason is our immune system. Our lymph system, the system responsible for escorting toxins away from vital organs and out the exits, only operates at its best when we help it – in the absence of a heart that pumps, like our circulatory system has, our lymph drainage only happens when we circulate lymph ourselves – via movement and exercise. For a nice change, the cardio rate is not the most important aspect of exercising for immunity – it’s the increased movement and circulation, although increased breathing and the resulting increase in oxygen intake are also great for immune building. A good slow or fast yoga class, walking, or jumping on a trampoline (it is one of the best ways to get the lymph system moving, provided you are coordinated enough not to fall off), are all great ways to keep the lymph system flowing and immunity heightened.

7. Bathtime

Well, mamas, I have to justify my favorite leisure activity somehow… Not only are baths tools for relaxation for many of us, however, with the right additions to your bathwater, you can make your bath even mildly detoxifying. Consider a mineral salt bath, adding dead sea salts, or their economic cousin, Epsom salts for both relaxation and detoxification. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) break down in warm water into magnesium and sulfur. Magnesium, often deficient in women, is responsible for over 300 body functions, including cellular energy production (the energy that helps our cells to cleanse themselves, among other life-giving activities). Sulfates are an important component of a detox pathway in the body known as sulphation. Add 1 cup of salts for every 6 inches of water. For improved absorption of magnesium and further detoxification, add baking soda – ½ cup for every cup of Epsom salt. Sit in this bath for 20 minutes (or however long you’d like!) After the bath is over, be sure to rinse off with a glycerin soap, to remove any impurities from the skin.

8. Downplay the sugar (or in my case, ‘lay off the nutella crepes, will ya’?!’)

Finally, I say this for kids all the time – and don’t think I take it lightly, I like sweet coffee and dessert after dinner – but sugar, in particular, white sugar, does impair the immune system. White blood cell functioning can be impaired for up to five hours after a sugary snack. While diehards may eliminate white sugar entirely, I am not so die-hard. If you are like me, aspiring and failing at eliminating sweet treats – and frankly, no longer even trying–, I recommend picking immune-onslaught times on which to focus your will-power. Before airplane travel, if someone in the family is sick, and definitely at back to school time, lay low on all sugars, but especially white ones. I’m on an applesauce with cinammon kick these days, in moderation. Or try substituting proteins (nut butters, hard-boiled eggs) and foods high in magnesium (oatmeal, leafy greens, almond milk), when sugar cravings are high. Your body will thank you.

I hope that some or all of these tips that I’ve provided will help you keep your immune system stronger than I kept mine this Fall. Now that I’m back on track, I can vouch for each and every one of them – my recovery was swift, all things considered, and my energy is now surprisingly high. That said, if nothing comes out of this blogging moment other than to remind you, dear Mama, to take the same care of your health that you would with your child’s – even just sometimes! – then my work is done here. For those of you who, in spite of your best efforts, have still found yourself sick this Fall, stay tuned. My back-to-school new leaf is to devote time to mommy’s health as well as kids health. After all, who can parent effectively with a splitting headache, fatigue, body aches, and/or peeing every 5 minutes? This parenting business is complicated enough. So lets put my recent spat of illness to good use…

Want the motion sickness without having to leave the city? Try this...

occasional roadtrip. Monet’s house in Giverny? Here we come. The cathedrals at Chartres and Rouen? Well, who knows why they make my family turn newly devout, but there it is, we have to have a look. All a good hour or so from the City of Lights… or more, when you decide to absorb the local color and take the back roads to get there. Our first mistake. Because even though my son had never shown signs of carsickness before, I should have known in a diesel car (that lets you know by the smell that it’s diesel) on a one-lane farm road, my son would take after me as a child and become carsick. Since it’s fresh in my mind today, and hindsight is twenty-twenty, lets talk about what I did, what I should have done, and what you can do to avoid motionsickness when your Jack-Kerouac-with-family moments strike.

First thing, remember the one about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure? (I’m full of old expressions today…) Well, never has it been more true than dealing with a motion-sick child. Motion sickness is caused by inner ears (which regulate balance), eyes, and sensory nerves sending conflicting messages to the brain. Once equilibrium or balance is thrown off, it is harder to get it back than to keep it in the first place – isn’t this true in life as well? Hmmm – This is true for adults and for kids. If you know that you or your kid is prone to motionsickness, try some of these remedies less than an hour before getting in the car/boat/train/airplane and see what happens. Also, keep some easy remedies on hand, in your glove compartment perhaps, or pack them up before leaving the house (and thereby avoid looking for 7-11s in the middle of nowhere…)

Now on to the remedies:

1. First thing, feed ‘em ginger. I talk about ginger for many things, primarily because it is one of those foods that is nature’s gift. Good for digestive trouble, colds, and even headaches, it is especially beneficial for calming and preventing motion sickness. Some studies even suggest that ginger is more effective than dimenhydrinate (i.e. Dramamine), and no side effects. We use it in one of two ways. Ideally we brew ginger tea in advance of our road trip, let it cool a bit and put it in a thermos. 2 – 3 slices of fresh ginger per cup of water, or freshly grated ginger, 1 tsp. per cup is generally effective. If your child prefers, you can take the edge off the taste of ginger with a touch of honey (in children over 15 months old, as is always the case with honey) or maple syrup. If you are only sporadically prepared or have the time to brew tea before a trip – or you have mama-brain like I do and can’t always remember — you can also stash natural ginger candies in the car, just in case. We generally find these in our grocery bulk section, dusted in a bit of sugar (we’ll take it however it comes when the chips are down and we’re desperate…). Ginger candies are a good, reliable standby.

2. Carry bland snacks. Its good to avoid heavy meals before traveling, but it also helps motion sickness and stomach acidity levels to avoid an empty stomach. Whole grain crackers, crunchy veggie sticks, favorite snacks that aren’t too sugary or greasy are good choices. Whole grains are good sources of magnesium, which is calming to the nervous system. Pumpkin seeds are touted in eastern medical tradition as a cure for nausea and motion-sickness as well. Perhaps its because they are high in essential fatty acids and zinc, especially in the

acupressure together on solid ground

raw form. Papaya is also a good choice, either fresh or dried slices, or even chewable papaya tablets. These are chalk full of digestive enzymes that can help calm digestive upsets, even when caused by motion. Olives too, I’ve been told, can suck up excess saliva that starts getting produced when we get nauseous (in our case, they might aggravate the problem, but hey, if your kid likes them, great!).

3. Massage at your child’s wrist. I massage an acupressure point on my son’s wrist with my thumb, located about the distance of your child’s index finger, knuckle to tip, or an inch-and-a half down the inner arm from the wrist crease, along an imaginary center line of the arm – this is an acupressure point known for helping with nausea, dizziness and general motion sickness. (This point, I know from personal experience, is pretty good for morning sickness as well…) This is also a great distraction tactic.

4. Encourage your child to keep their head and eyes still. Since motion sickness is caused by conflicting

a closer look at the no-more-motion-sickness massage (at the general area of my thumb)

information with regards to motion being sent to the brain, it is often beneficial to eliminate some of this input. Use a pillow to keep the head and neck stationary, and have your child focus their eyes on a distant, stationary point on the road in front of them. Or, if they prefer, they can close their eyes. And above all, No Reading!

5. Put some peppermint oil on a cotton ball and sniff. We’re usually encouraging our kids to keep things away from their noses – glue, pennies, you name it – but in this case, the smell of peppermint, 2-3 drops of it’s essential oil on a cotton ball, can work soothing wonders. It also takes away that gasoline diesel smell, my least favorite part of airplane and cheap-European-rental-car travel (at least our rental cars), and enough to make me queasy, with or without motion.

6. Sing. Go ahead, twitter buddies. Sing those songs with your kid that we always commiserate we can’t get out of our heads at inopportune moments. “Murray had a little lamb,” “hamster dance”, “Barney Song”, you name it. Singing helps to distract your child, and gets them to breathe deeply. If they are feeling too sick to sing themselves, you can sing to them, or tell them stories, and encourage them to breathe deeply while they listen. Fresh air can also help, so, if you can, roll down those windows! You know everyone wants to hear you croon, right? ☺

7. Finally, when all else fails, try charcoal tablets. Ask at your health food store or pharmacy on dosage – with ours, it’s usually ¼ of the adult dose under the age of 6, up to ½ the adult dose over the age of 6 until age 12. Charcoal is a very quick way to absorb excess acid in the stomach. If motion sickness is a debilitating problem in your family, you can even try giving charcoal an hour before your trip. Just avoid giving charcoal with other remedies – charcoal is very absorbent, and sucks up even the good stuff.

We’re now ready for our next attack of wanderlust (and maybe skipping the windy backroads isn’t SUCH a bad idea either…) Let me know how this all works out on your next trip, and happy travels!

homemade headshots

pronouncements (I know it’s BBC America, but it’s his show) and coupled with an enthusiasm to match that of a game show host, cadences intact. Think Bruce Forsythe meets Anderson Cooper, and a little bit of that Furniture Center guy yelling, “we want to save you money” thrown into the mix and you’ve got a taste of the veritable Anglo socio-cultural smorgasboard that my son evokes as he narrates his every move.

You might presume first that we are an edgy, politically-concerned family who watches the news (BBC, of course) with regularity and discusses it over the dinner table – and while we might be a handful of these things occasionally, we don’t watch the news, we’re rarely reverent (or seated) long enough to discuss world affairs together and we don’t even get the BBC. So we have something of a mystery on our hands.

Still, my son persists. “This is BBC America saying I’m too hot, bring up the fan….
Pah – LEEZE.”

What’s most interesting to me about being in the presence of constant news-style narration, however, is less

hard-hitting coverage...

where he “got it” (I mean, where did he get his obsession with the phrase ‘butt-crack’ or the idea that if he gives me extra Monopoly money, I’ll never turn into an ‘old lady’? Kids just pull stuff out our overstuffed cosmos I believe, surrounded by it as they are, like the waves of radiation from our cell phones), and more where he’s going with it. What does it mean to have a near six-year-old turning his singular voice into the voice of Brit-America, every statement made intended to make headlines, or, at least, be palatable to a fatigued and oversaturated audience?

“This is BBC America saying, (like a broken record), I won’t brush my teeth, I want to look like Dobby [think dwarf-like and toothless? Harry Potter character].”

To explain where I’m going with this – and I’m not even sure yet, frankly, so please bear with me for a mere moment longer while I ‘get it sorted’ – I have a feeling I’m going to have to revisit a rare conversation we had over the dinner table, with a dear – and, notably, childless friend a few months ago. She, unlike the clan from which I hail, actually does discuss politics over dinner, and in particular the health politics of Monsanto and their plans for the forced use of genetically modified ‘super-seeds’, or, as we lovingly referred to it, “the evil seed.” My son sat quietly, sorting the rice from the lentils until dessert, and didn’t contribute or even indicate that he was listening until, for the next five days he asked with each meal, petrified, if he was eating “evil seed” and what it would do to him. Now I know that kids take in all kinds of information, and you never know what will make a lasting impression and what won’t, but lets also keep in mind that my son has been exposed to Harry Potter and JR Tolkien, and Robin Hood, images of fear, and darkness, fantasy good & evil, and all sorts of ‘children’s’ programming that a good argument might be made was sheer negligence on my part that he ever got exposed to at his age in the first place – and it seems to make no clear mark on his psyche other than the delight of the fantasy. Nothing. Then this, the dangers of Monsanto’s genetically engineered agricultural methodology sinks its fangs in. This is not predictable stuff, this parenting business…

“This is BBC America saying what would happen if the whole world wore monkey underpants on their head when it rains instead of umbrellas?” (direct quote, I promise.)  What indeed?  The news has never been so creative…

I think, if having the BBC America suddenly turn their broadcast central into my loft apartment has left any indelible marks on me, its that, in this modern age of parenting, the old rules about ‘good guys and bad guys’, ‘cops and robbers’, ‘sharks and minnows’, ‘appropriate and inappropriate’, ‘real and imaginary’ may have

a man of the people

become so eroded by the information age, that my own compass is left spinning, leaving my son to announce at once that everything and nothing is important. “This is BBC America announcing my new sailboat has won the race, and I have to pee, and you forgot my Bakugan ball as usual.” And maybe it is even a bit refreshing too, to be reminded how important the small things are to a child, how noteworthy, and how the world thru their eyes is something COMPLETELY different than the world thru mine ever has been or will be. He may be struck by the ‘evil seed’ and keep eyes wide open thru 3D animated T-Rexes. I’ll cover his eyes at the easy stuff for him to digest, and keep his eyes wide open through conversations and impressions that strike him at the core. I just can’t see the world thru his eyes no matter how I try.

…Except, when the BBC America announces that I should sit up and take notice. And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly why he does it. He’s sharing the BBC Aidan, as anchor, producer and editorial staff combined. In each BBC moment, I get soundbites from his world, and I’m blessed that he wants to deliver them. And mostly he’s taking the ‘small stuff’ of his life for this crazy, busy, overworked, over-processed, over-informed age, and for his crazy, busy, overworked, over-processed, over-informed parents – and making it big, big enough to see, and big enough, for a BBC moment, to share.

For example, if my son tells me that one chocolate éclair is not going to keep him awake, and he’ll listen to

looks innocent, right?

words, he promises, and yes, he’ll go straight to sleep after brushing his teeth very thoroughly, and he looks up at me with those big blue eyes that haven’t changed one bit since he was a baby, I occasionally leave my years of experience at the door and succumb to the addictive pleasure of being the mommy who makes dreams come true.

Imagine my guilt and shame then as afterwards he jumps off the walls, toothbrush in hand starts playing with his legos, and then, when I try to reason with him at his level, jumps around my neck like a baby baboon and starts writhing his head back and forth in fits of unprovoked, giddy laughter. Basically, I’m in for the long haul tonight.

Kids become restless, hyperactive, unable to concentrate for many complicated reasons. Much of my practice with children has been devoted to understanding the process of sensory integration – which spans a vast spectrum. Even now, I can only scratch the surface. Often it is a complicated ball of yarn to unravel, with environmental, social, nutritional implications. So please do not take these upcoming suggestions as a cure-all or a replacement for what may be a larger and longer pursuit of lasting solutions. However, if your child, like mine, is relatively calm and finds it reasonably easy to listen and make choices (for his age) – and then suddenly can do none of these things, and it’s bedtime!, maybe these tips will help:

1. Brew a cup of herbal tea. Chamomile is really one of nature’s treasures as far as I am concerned. Chamomile contains volatile oils and flavenoids with relaxant (think relax – ahhh) and analgesic (ie pain-relieving) properties. Indicated for fussiness, irritability, whining, it even works to help digestion, and has antimicrobial properties (it can kill viruses and bacteria!). Lemon balm is another safe, effective and popular relaxant for restlessness and anxiety in children (and adults). Popular for centuries now among European herbalists for children who are nervous, excitable, or having digestive upsets due to stress, it has no known interactions or side effects. Chamomile combined with lemon balm can be a mood-busting, calming miracle. Safe for even young children (it can even be used for teething – you can rub chamomile onto teeth like a paste), and slightly sweet, my son will sip at it every time. Just make sure it’s cool enough for your child to drink. On second thought, make that 2 cups of tea – one for mama or papa as well.

2. Draw a warm bath for your little one – and include Epsom salts. The magnesium in the Epsom salts is relaxing to both muscles and the nervous system; the sulfur (Epsom salts are really magnesium sulfate) is mildly detoxifying. Add a couple drops of lavender, chamomile, or rose essential oils for additional relaxation.

3. Give your child gentle massage. The trick to this is to get my son to sit still long enough to allow it, but now if I even mention back or head massage, he lies down right away. My favorite technique is to massage alongside the child’s spine, or use ’spinal rolling’ which many clients of mine also report works like a light switch for their children.  Head and scalp massage can work wonders as well.  Massage between and on their eyebrows, at their temples, and work the tips of your fingers on their scalp gently, as though shampooing their hair. Massaging at the wrist on the inside of the arm is another great spot (there are acupressure points in all of the areas I’ve mentioned that induce relaxation.) Best yet, rub a little Rescue Remedy at the wrists and temples along with the massaging. These, and many other techniques are demonstrated on the Mommy’s ER DVDs; one segment on DVD 2 is dedicated to disturbed sleep.

4. I am not a homeopath by trade, but it has not escaped my notice that many wonderful remedies for children can be found within this arena. My favorite part about homeopathy is that, like acupressure, it is designed to stimulate the body’s own ability to balance itself – with a hint or two from mother nature. It is completely safe, and I would love to hear your own anecdotal stories of its effectiveness. I will limit my suggestions to Calms Forte, a wonderful homeopathic blend (which includes the now oft-mentioned camomilla, among other things) from Hyland’s; they suggest 2 pills every 15 minutes until desired result (hopefully, calm) is achieved. It usually takes us just 2 pills. You can also try coffea cruda at 12x or 6c (these are dosages that measure the number of dilutions – the higher the number the more dilutions – in other words, you are not giving your child coffee, but a very diluted essence of it). This is for occasional use only – as in, I only occasionally lose my mind and give my son chocolate and sugar right before bed. However, a word to the wise on the Calms Forte – my latest bottle has a picture of Curious George on it, so my son now begs for these ‘sleeping pills’ nightly. (A little troubling, no doubt, to any visitors or casual listeners in our abode.)

5. If your child is hungry – (we all know this was not the case with my overfed child; in fact, the opposite – heavy or late dinners– can also cause disturbed sleep, as we’ll soon discuss) — consider a snack containing oats. Oats are high in silicon and phosphorus, which promote healthy connective tissues, brain and nerve growth. Oats are also high in tryptophan – the building block of happy, sleep-inspiring brain chemicals melatonin and serotonin. In the tradition of eastern medicine, oats also have the reputation for calming the nervous system. My father had a great recipe for naturally-sweetened oatmeal cookies that we used to call ‘Super Cookies’ (super for me because they were ‘cookies’, super for him because they contained lots of bran and were a calming, happy snack). I will post this recipe as soon as I am able to finagle it out of him. Try also foods high in tryptophan – oats are one of them; others include dairy products and poultry. We don’t do chicken or turkey much as a before-bed snack and my son is sensitive to dairy, so I’ll tell you another favorite: warm almond milk with a little honey. Almonds contain both magnesium and tryptophan, a powerful relaxing combination. And while the honey may be counter-intuitive (too much sugar, and we get more excited, at least initially), a little bit can actually give your brain the message to stop producing orexin, a neurotransmitter that keeps us alert.

6. Check for digestive upset. A meal that has been too heavy, too late, included stimulating foods or foods to which your child is sensitive can also cause anxiety and sleeplessness. (Sounds like a minefield, doesn’t it?) Once the damage is done, however, is there anything the now-beleaguered parent can do? Number one: ask your child if their tummy is upset. If your child has a tummy ache or feels overly full, you can try foods high in natural enzymes such as papaya, pineapple, or even apple slices. You can also try a digestive enzyme supplement – ask at your favorite grocery or healthfood store. If your child has more extreme gas or indigestion, 1 to 2 tablets of charcoal can provide immediate relief. So can tummy rubbing – check out some of my favorite digestive acupressure points and belly rubbing techniques. Finally, a cup of peppermint tea can provide a safe and effective boost for easier digestion.

All of the remedies I have listed here are great in a pinch – the occasional sleepless night or restless evening – or for nights you suspect may have bedtime difficulties in the near offings. You can feel free to explore the remedies I’ve listed here for ongoing sleep problems, and  check out my Mommy’s ER segment on hyperactive, overtired or overstimulated kids.  I’ve included a segment on healthy sleep as well — what it looks like, and how to encourage it.   Please also include a visit to your primary care giver: ongoing sleep dilemmas can be a symptom of other imbalances and ailments, which are great to rule out. There are also some stronger herbal and nutritional solutions than the ones I’ve listed here – because I firmly believe that strong solutions should be saved for when all else fails, and under the guidance of a practitioner. But, if, like me, you really are looking for gentle, occasional relief for a minor dilemma, then I hope that these remedies provide your family the relief that they’ve provided me. Because frankly I don’t think my son considers sleeplessness a malady, but a wonderful glimpse into the late-night world of adults – and he does not connect sleep with the quality of our next morning, as I do (and can’t imagine I’d want to spend even a moment of my own night without his radiant company.:)) . I must be stealth in my determination to calm and soothe – it better taste good, feel good, or have Curious George involved in some way. I’ll continue to keep you posted as I search relentlessly for the remedy that combines all three.

Some of it however, feels less like a natural high and more like a natural disaster. Less in the category of bungee-jumping type adventure and more in the category of dental surgery type adventure, is when my son wakes up in a foreign country with an ear ache.

… Rewind to 3 nights ago to get the full effect…

My son has always been prone to ear infections. His ear infections inspired the Mommy’s ER series, and from that perspective I am grateful for them. I’m also familiar with them, and what to do for them – although he really had not had one in many years now. Still, at 3am on a pre-dawn paris weekend morning when he woke up with an earache, I was TERRIFIED. I had done my due-diligence, I knew the names of some English-speaking doctors here, but at 3am? The first thing I could think of was to rush him to some clinic, any clinic (even a veterinary clinic!) to inject him up with something to take the pain away. So much for natural remedies, I needed help, and fast.

It was my son, in his pain, that reminded me that, perhaps, I knew a little bit more about what to do in this situation than my 3am culture-shocked brain cared to remember. He didn’t care to give me the space for my panic attack. He wanted an even quicker, simpler solution. ‘Mommy, press!’ He stuck out his hands and feet for some acupressure to take the pain away (check out the segment on earaches for a visual of the points I used), and all of the remedies I suggest during the daylight came back to me. Here is what, with a little prodding, I ultimately remembered to do:

1. start with the easiest, least invasive solution. In this case, massaging points at his feet and near his ring finger put him back to sleep in under 10 minutes. I also had garlic in the kitchen and olive oil. 1-2 cloves,

the miracle of acupressure

heated in the oil then cooled to near room temperature provided us with topical relief – 2 drops in the affected ear did the trick, and had the antimicrobial properties to potentially kill unwanted bacteria. We propped him up with an extra pillow to relieve pressure in the ears and encourage drainage. The points around his ear were too tender to touch, but a warm compress could have also have been included. (Because my son had fallen back asleep, we did not proceed to an ER, although I never discourage this idea, particularly if it provides relief and peace of mind – word to the wise, map the route to a 24 hour clinic BEFORE you find a need for it ☺. Also remember, the severity of an ear infection is not necessarily measurable by the amount of pain it is causing – and I’m reminding myself of this, as much as you. )

2. the next morning, all pain was gone, so we pro-actively addressed his immune system and possible tissue inflammation in the ear. We used protease enzymes on his empty stomach to reduce inflammation and break down mucous, a probiotic with acidophilus to support his system’s ‘good’ bacteria (the good can control the growth of any ‘bad’ bacteria and also supports strong immune function). We also continued with his daily DHA (in the form of Nordic Naturals children’s fish oil supplement) as part of his morning routine. DHA helps to regulate inflammatory response.

3. We used a non-medicated saline spray in his nostrils to thin any mucous (we had seen some drippage the day before – perhaps from a less-than-exemplary pastry indulgence?). This might be his least favorite part, but after watching mommy do it to herself, he was game.

4. We eliminated dairy products and white sugars (dairy can encourage mucous production, particularly in children sensitive to it like my son, and sugar reduces immune function). In other words, no more pastry. At least, not for now.

5. And finally, my son even remembered to ask for it, lymph massage, to drain mucous from the area of the ear. (Check out the earache section for how-to’s or Dadlabs segment on Summer Remedies, where an unsuspecting Daddy Brad gets his own lymph massage).

We continued this routine, giving him protease enzymes 3x/day on an empty stomach for the next 3 days, just as a precaution. His body had let us know something was out of balance, and we continued to heed that message. We also increased his consumption of carrots – the beta-carotene benefits the ears (along with the eyes and liver). I had brought the enzymes as part of my travel kit (check out the blog of me frantically putting my natural kids health travel kit together), but the rest of the solutions involved my hands, my kitchen, and the market across the street.

While we have since found an ear doctor (at a more civilized hour of day), no intervention was necessary. It looked like the tail-end of a possible infection, but no need for antibiotics or other treatment beyond what we had been doing already. It had ‘cured itself’, with a nudge here and there from some kitchen and travel kit standbys. Recent studies on children’s ear infections have been yielding interesting results showing that in many cases, ‘watchful waiting’ proves equally effective to a course of antibiotics, especially in children over 2 years old. I’m grateful for antibiotics when necessary, but am grateful too when we can save them for a day when he REALLY needs them, (and won’t be resistant to them already), a day that I hope never arrives.

Now that the pain of the earache is gone, never to return, I can reflect on the process a bit, so please indulge me. The whole experience has given me a new kinship with the natural remedies at my disposal, because they were still right there at my fingertips at 3am, and they made me feel like I had some power to help. And while I have to be very careful with the language I use to describe their effects (I cannot legally claim that nutritional remedies or acupressure ‘cures’), maybe this is the right way to language it anyway, because with natural kids health, the kid has to do the work – we just show their little bodies the way, nudging their immune systems bit by bit. Aidan cured his own ear infection, just by reminding me to do what I do best, and by letting his own body do the rest. He had faith in his body, and maybe in me, even when I had none.

More important than the natural remedies we used, was, as always, the lesson. (don’t you hate it when the

the storm has passed...

universe is smarter than you are?) This is what all the mommys and daddys like you are contending with at your respective 3 o’clock in the morning wake up calls. And while I hope you are able to keep your cool better than I, I’m guessing you don’t always. (right?) If this put me back in touch again with all the other parents out there, if this restamps my membership into the under-appreciated but incredibly elite club known as fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, do-your-best-on-the-fly parenting, then this earache was worth it. Just don’t tell my son that.

In spite of these careful precautions, my mother managed to impart her deep appreciation of the grocery store to me – a trait

beautiful banlieue (suburb) of paris

that leaves my husband (a software consultant for grocery stores, ironically) befuddled whenever we shop together. Imagine then the scene today, as we made it the primary, focused goal of our morning to venture into the suburbs of Paris to explore the Nouveaux Robinson, a biocoop with markets only on the outskirts of town. Perhaps it was because our experience on the New York subway was still fresh in our minds, but after a 20 minute subway ride to the end of the 10 Line, as the number of passengers dwindled dramatically, we expected we might get out in the middle of an ‘unsavory’ (aka frightening) or industrial neighborhood. I cannot adequately convey our surprise then, when we ascended the metro steps to find a quaint and picturesque village, full of cafes, tree-lined avenues, and the mandatory iphone outpost. A mere block and we had reached it – the mecca of healthfoods of which I had dared to dream… My husband graciously agreed to watch our son as I combed the aisles, breathlessly.

His sacrifice was not as large as you might expect. The entire store could fit into our living room (in Texas, NOT to be confused

les nouveaux robinson -- biomarket extraordinaire

with our living room/dining room/playroom here, in our little digs off of Saint Germain des Pres). It was however, totally navigatable as a result, and chock full of edible treasures. Yogurts

bulk!

and kefirs with high probiotic content, a small but adequate produce corner, and behold – a half an aisle devoted to bulk items such as muesli and rice (never again will I need to pay 5 dollars for 2 cups worth!). I even found agave, tahini, rice flours….

And some items we decided to pass on – such as the 7 dollar loaf of sprouted Essene bread with the density of my suitcase and the size of my husband’s palm. Or the 8 Euro (nearly 12 dollar) box of quinoa flake cereal. We’ll stick to the muesli, thanks.

Essene bread - hockey puck hybrid

And fast forward to a modest 45 minutes later, when we emerged with our brimming canvas sack, ready for a café lunch and the metro home. The entire trip was reminiscent of a scavenger hunt for treasures, and utterly delightful.

Now I don’t mean to imply by my quest for the familiar in my grocery shopping experience that

eureka.

French supermarkets should, could, or would resemble American ones. To even envision this, I would need to envision a market environment where locally-grown was no longer at a premium. I don’t object to not being able to find apricots in winter, or winter greens in summer. In fact, I prefer it. Neither can I pretend to be fully acculturated — a pretentious and silly notion, especially the minute I open my mouth to speak. So, on this pleasant, slightly hot Monday, I am allowing myself this middle ground – inordinate enthusiasm at my agave-muesli adventure, coupled with a grand café crème and a pain au chocolat to wash it all down.

We did it… a mere 12 hours after posting my last blog, we went to grab some more produce for dinner from the market across the street — and voila! — If you look carefully at the black chalkboard in the picture, you just may see it — pain frais sans gluten (fresh bread without gluten). A mere 20 meters away.

Ask and you shall receive, right? Almost. Turns out the stall’s proprietress had sold out of the one loaf she had on offer today. Well, at least we now know there’s a chance of getting our hands on a favorite not-too-tasty(?) taste of home, in the not-too-distant future…