Anyone who has been reading my blog for long knows that I am somewhat “crunchy” (green living, granola eating, tree-hugging, attachment parenting). I stay away from medicine unless absolutely necessary, but I also know that sometimes a prescription is the best answer.
I’m a huge believer in doing your own medical research (on REPUTABLE sites!!) and becoming a “partner” with your doctor for your health care.
To that end, may I say, that I always research prescriptions before I take them. I try to do the same for family members as well. And thank goodness I do!
Recently, a family member was given a prescription that had side effects ranging from nausea and extreme fatigue, to depression and suicidal thoughts. Ummm… EXCUSE ME???? At what point are the side effects of the medicine WORSE than what it is cures. Added to that, this particular drug is extraordinarily addictive and shouldn’t be used for more than 4 months at a time. AND there are other drugs out there that do the same things.. but don’t have all the nasty side effects or the addictive nature. I found out later that very little of this information was given to the family member. I’m sure there just wasn’t time in the 3 minutes the doctor was able to devote to his patient. (No.. that was not a slam on the doctor.. it was a slam on the health care industry.)
And yes, I know that not all people will experience the side effects listed for this drug… but if you don’t KNOW what all the side effects are you can get into trouble. Depression can be a slow slide, and it may be too late before you realize where you’ve landed.
My point to you is this: Always double-check your prescriptions. Know what side effects are, and be on the lookout for them. Know what the alternatives to the drug are. Make sure that you are a partner in your health care and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Do your own research, and help make decisions about your health. Just remember to use reliable sites in your research. 
For Christmas last year (2006), we got a Yorkshire Terrier pup. Isn’t he just the cutest little bugger you’ve ever seen! He really is a sweetheart. Six whole pounds of love. His name is Rudy (short for Rudolf).
Yorkies have lots and lots of hair and that hair needs to be cut (especially if you aren’t showing them). Since I don’t (yet!!) know how to groom him, I have chosen to use a groomer.
It turns out that I have bad luck with dog groomers. I’ve only had my pup for a year, and he has been to exactly two groomers. The first left him looking like a poorly cut Schnauzer. It was just awful. Friends and family would look at him and groan, saying they were embarrassed for him. Really… it was a bad cut.
Right before Christmas this year, I found a new groomer and dropped him off for an afternoon playdate (yeah.. I know.. just let me believe that he had a wonderful time hanging out in their cages… ). When I returned to collect my wee boy, he had a beautiful haircut. He looked like a well-groomed Yorkie. People ooh’d and aah’d over him again. I was certain I’d found the best groomer.
Within the week, I began noticing fleas on poor Rudy. In the year I’ve had him, my boy has never had fleas (I don’t use anything on him for flea treatment). I find it quite suspect that he develops a nasty flea infestation within a week of seeing his groomer.
Since I don’t like to use pesticides, I thought I would try natural remedies. Here is what I did:
- Bath with Melaleuca dog shampoo (includes tea tree oil)
- Brewers yeast on food, and dusted directly on pup
- Apple cider vinegar in drinking water
- Citronella essential oil on his collar
- Frequent vacuuming
- Borax on the carpets
After all of that… my boy still had fleas. Unbelievable! So, after all of my crunchy ways, I caved and used a pesticide spray. As of right now, he is flea free.
I will continue to give him brewer’s yeast on his food. He loves the flavor of it and the yeast will *supposedly* make him smell unappetizing to the fleas. I will also continue to change his bedding and vacuum at double or triple my normal schedule. I believe wholeheartedly that the Borax in my carpets stopped me from getting a flea infestation in my home.
The bottom line is that I believe many of the home-remedies will work to help Rudy not get fleas, but that none of them are strong enough to kill an existing flea infestation.
I am not going to run out (yet) and get a monthly flea pesticide for him. I will wait and see if he gets fleas again. I will probably be looking for another groomer…. or maybe I will just try to groom him myself (and save $35!!!).
I mean… really…. what is five or ten more bad haircuts while I learn the ropes?
So, do you have any flea remedies to recommend (natural or otherwise)? I’d love to hear your take on the great flea battle.
[tags]naturally kill fleas, natural flea remedy, yorkshire terriers, dog groomers[/tags]
[dels]naturally kill fleas, natural flea remedy, yorkshire terriers, dog groomers[/dels]
Many people have been questioning me about my experience with the oil of oregano. So, I thought I would post an update here. It is difficult to say if the oil of oregano made a difference with my daughter, as she was on the down-side of her illness anyway (CDC states that shigella passes through the system without antibiotics in approximately 5 to 7 days - my daughter was on day 5 when I started her on oil of oregano). It certainly didn’t do her any harm, though it was unpleasant to take.
The real test arrived in the form of my father. He had just come back from Mexico and apparently brought back a special souvenir. Within 5 hours of getting off the plane, he was sick as could be. Uncontrollable diarrhea, shaking, nausea, and extreme weakness. He couldn’t stand up straight, could only shuffle his feet while walking, and was only able to get out of bed for 15 minutes at a time before exhaustion overtook him again. By his own words, this was one of the worst illnesses he had ever experienced.
On his first venture out of bed, we talked him into some oil of oregano. 4 drops in a 1/2 cup of water. He sucked it down, tried not to vomit, and took himself back to bed. Three hours later, he tried again. This time he was up for about 1/2 hour, and diarrhea had begun to ease. More oil of oregano and back to bed. A few hours later, he was well enough to get up, take a shower, eat and talk for nearly an hour. More oil of oregano, then bed. He woke up the next morning completely well. Energy had returned, bowels had stabilized, and pain and stiffness was gone. We certainly attribute this speedy recovery to the oil of oregano. It is a very powerful anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. It is inexpensive, and as been reported to work well even on bacteria that is antibiotic-resistant.
So - my evaluation? A+ for the oil of oregano. It reduced the length and severity of his sickness and brought him back to the “land of the living.” Please note, we use the actual oil, not the pill form. I do not know if the pill form is as effective (though it is probably much nicer to take!!)
Here is a link to an oil of oregano at Amazon. Let me just say… well worth the money for good oil of oregano (be careful of the extra cheap ones!). Since you only use a few drops at a pop, a bottle lasts a long long time.
Enjoy!
[tags]herbal remedies, oil of oregano, antibiotics, antiviral, antifungal, crunchy lifestyle, homeopathic remedies, cold remedies, flu remedies[/tags]
[dels]herbal remedies, oil of oregano, antibiotics, antiviral, antifungal, crunchy lifestyle, homeopathic remedies, cold remedies, flu remedies[/dels]
I have always chosen doctors that I love. I believe that it is just as important for personalities to mesh, as it is for them to be competent doctors. I have chosen doctors who are respectful of my “crunchy” ways. See, I fully realize that I am (at least somewhat) crunchy. I try to use the absolute minimum amount of medicine possible, I try to treat body and mind with the most soothing and least invasive procedures. I will explore herbal and natural remedies first, but will turn to traditional medicine when needed. I vaccinate my children, but do so on a modified schedule (and won’t hesitate to refuse some of the new vaccines that I don’t believe in). I avoid flu shots for my family because I don’t believe they are effective enough to warrant the additional chemical load on the body. I use probiotics for my family, and avoid antibiotics unless they are absolutely necessary. I believe whole-heartedly in the benefits of extended breastfeeding. I recycle. I try to live as green as possible. I try to teach my children to abide by this lifestyle as well.
In the past, my pediatrician has always been at least respectful of my views. He has been receptive to having open dialogue and has helped guide me in making my decisions. If he feel strongly about something I have chosen to do, he has discussed the issues with me and allowed me to do further research before continuing. He has been the perfect doctor….. until now.
It seems that my pediatrician is fine with my “quackery” as long as I do not question his methods. Let me try to explain.
In Florida, there is a nasty little bacteria making the rounds - shigella. It is highly contagious, especially among school age children. The CDC states that the bacteria will pass through the system in 5 to 7 days without antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics will help to shorten the duration of the illness, but the body can fight it on its own. Since this bacteria presents more as a virus, they recommend stool cultures to verify its presence. My daughter became ill on the first day of our vacation (camping in the mountains) and she had the illness for 5 days before the pediatrician saw her (and only then because I suspected she had the shigella bacteria). She was already on the down-side of the illness and I told the pediatrician this. He actually wasn’t sure she had it because she was already so much better. He ordered the stool culture and refused to put her on antibiotics (I actually requested them because I was positive she had shigella). Once at home, I began a regimen of herbal antibiotics (oil of oregano) and garlic pills. It took 5 days to get the results of the stool culture (weekend included). She was symptom-free for more than 72 hours at that point. Instead of signing off and allowing her to return to school, the pediatrician required a second stool sample. My daughter would be out of school for over 2 weeks for a simple bacterial infection that clears up on its own in 5 to 7 days (per the CDC). Had he put her on antibiotics immediately (what the other pediatricians in town were doing), she would have missed 2 days of school.
I nicely and respectfully questioned his method, and requested that we find a way that was mutually agreeable to get her back into school immediately. I spoke briefly about the other children who were back in school after two days. At this point, he became irrational and kicked me out of his practice. Yes… for respectfully questioning the situation, for doing my own research (on a respectable site!!!), for trying to arrange a treatment that he and I could both live with, I was kicked out of his practice. I have lost total respect for a man that has been our doctor for over 6 years.
It boils down to this: I now know that MY doctor must be open-minded and reasonable, not just to my crunchy ways, but also to the PARTNERSHIP of doctor/mother to treat my children’s illnesses. Doctors are not gods. They are human. They do not have final say in how to treat my daughters. I have final say, and I need to know that I can trust the doctor to help me make the right decision. I want to know about the clinical trials and the research. I want to know the full range of options available for treatment. I want to have a say in the medical decisions for my family. I am not a stupid person. I am not ignorant. I know the difference between a quack website and a respected source. I know how to research a disease or illness and weigh the options for treatment. I need a doctor who will be my partner. Obviously, my pediatrician is not that kind of person. He needs to be seen as a god and the end-all and be-all of medical knowledge. Not in my lifetime.. buddy. Find a mother who will blindly follow you and not ask questions. That is not me.
OK - enough of my rant. I’m going to leave you all with a link to the Amazon books on herbal remedies. I hope that you will consider taking your health and wellness into your own hands and begin researching the herbs our beautiful and bountiful Earth has given us.
[tags]herbal remedies, pediatricians, question the doctor, shigella, antibiotics, probiotics, choosing a doctor[/tags]
[dels]herbal remedies, pediatricians, question the doctor, shigella, antibiotics, probiotics, choosing a doctor[/dels]