My guest this week is Katy Bowman of Aligned and Well and Restorative Exercise. Katy is a Biomechanist and her blog is a wealth of helpful information for anyone who wants to prevent and reverse diseases caused by habits of modern life.

Our focus for this show:

Habits and daily disciplines to prevent aches and pains in pregnancy and prepare for an easier labor.

Katy answers my questions about belly bands for postpartum use, proper squatting form, the skinny on sucking in your stomach and getting back into shape postpartum, pelvic floor issues and more.

Listen by clicking on the grey arrow below.

(A transcript of this interview appears below if you would rather read. It’s a work in progress, it was unfinished by a transcriptionist I hired so I’m doing it myself. I’ll be adding to it throughout the week.)

Carrie :  We are joined this week by Katie from alignedandwell.com. Good morning Katie.

Katy : Good morning.

Carrie : I am so excited to be talking to you. I am a huge fan of your philosophies and blog. I have three of your exercise DVDs and have some questions.

Katy : Yes. Go for it

Carrie : It is funny how sometimes you just happen upon something on the internet and don’t really know how you got there. You follow that little rabbit hole… I don’t remember how I found out about your website, but when I did I just started digging in and reading archives and searching various things and thought, “oh my Gosh this is really awesome. Makes a lot of sense.” So please tell us about yourself and your background and what you are all about.

Katy : Well, I am a Biomechanist. Biomechanics is the science, the physics of Biology, I guess it is the easiest way to say it. My specialty is applying the field of biomechanics to injury and disease. And I have always been most interested in where disease comes from… the mechanisms … the actual cause. I don’t think there is a lot of work being done to try to find the cause as much as there is a lot of work done to take care of the problem. An engineer will usually figure out what the problem is before trying to find the solution. It is a lot easier to reverse engineer something than it is to kind of  stab in the dark to make a solution.

So I have always that natural interest, but I have always come from a platform regarding the human from its original state, not the modern human because the modern human which is you know, not just the human living in the 21st or 22nd Century, but really the human as it is lived since humans were. So your earliest humans before there were cars and before there was abundant food, even agriculture. That population had all the same equipment.

We have all the same equipment, but the habits are different. So I have always kind of investigated how do the habits of modern living contribute to a set of diseases that we call affluent ailments.

Affluent ailments are all the stuff that you will likely have and that  your parents have and that your friends have. And they are very normal they become very common within our population, but it is always important to maintain the prospective of they are still diseases and injuries based on the way we live. They’re not genetic issues and they are certainly preventable if you know enough information and you know, can change the large components of the way you live. And you don’t have to give up your house and give up your food, but for example just not sitting as much in chairs makes a big difference.

And then I would say that my focus has really become the pelvis. Pelvic floor disorder, female pelvic floor disorder was my specialty in graduate school so I did my research and my thesis on. So probably how you stumbled onto the blog was through something related to pregnancy or pelvic floor disorder because even though I do the whole body it seems like that where most people are coming from. They are coming to fix something with their pelvis or their abdomen and it is usually pregnancy related. So I have a lot more women who are interested. So that is also my greatest love and I am a woman that is currently pregnant. I just had a baby, but even 10 or 15 years before that I was interested in the pelvis.

Carrie : Cool. It just came to me. I think how I found you is I by doing some Googling about Plantar fasciitis.

Katy : Oh.

Carrie : Because my husband started to develop symptoms of that. Why in the heck is that? I mean when I have heard about in the past, it was something that elderly people had.

Katy : Right.

Carrie : I think that is how I found your blog, but I did come across an article on another blog, an interview did about pelvic floor issues. I am kind of lucky in that area I guess. I mean this is my 6th pregnancy, but I have not really had pelvic floor issues that a lot of women have had in their pregnancy. So maybe I accidentally did some things right.

Katy : Great.

Carrie : But we are going to talk a lot about pregnancy because yes this is my show and I am selfish and I can ask you some questions that will help me right now!

Katy : Right.

Carrie : You mentioned things like sitting in chairs and stuff like that. About 14 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child and took Bradley husband childhood classes. There was a lot of instruction about “tailor sitting” on the floor. That was something that I kept in mind. This pregnancy has really been the most comfortable that my back and hips have ever been and I have not had the pelvic pain. And I think it is because I have tried really hard to stay out of chairs and do my walking.

(Note about the pic: This is a stretch I do every day as part of a workout that Katy designed for Fit Pregnancy. If I forget, I have severe pain in my hips that wakes me up at night!)

So what are some things other than that pregnant women should be doing to prevent those aches and pains that we know so much about and also to prepare for labor to have an easier delivery?

Katy: Well, I think I always like to start off any pregnancy conversation with getting in their mind that, that pain and pregnancy should not go together. Again it has become really culturally common, but pregnancy should not be a pain. I guess that is the easiest title to give it. And that the pains that we have in the low back, in the hips, in the ligaments, in the knees, in the feet really have more to do with the fact that we are pretty de-conditioned as humans and that goes for even for people who exercise every single day.

We are still fairly inert for as a group of people, we don’t move very much. So if women can begin to get some of their strength before they are coming pregnant that would be most ideal – meaning that keeping yourself strong enough to deal with an extra 20 and 40 pounds or more that is going to go on your frame.

And so alignment has to do with the way that all of your bones are positioned relative to each other. Alignment in the skeleton that can hold the weight very comfortably without requiring joints to collapse or ligaments to strain. And that you get a lot of muscular development in response to this extra load.

If you can imagine trying to stack a pile of books into a table that is well balanced – the books are just going to sit up there.  But if the table has one leg that is a little bit shorter or the top of the table is sitting slightly off… it might not be a big deal and it might be able to sit there in your living room as long as no one touched it, but as soon as someone stacks books on it, it begins to crumble.

(Note: Good alignment. Head on shoulders, hips over heels, bootie untucked, everything stacked up nicely!)

So you want to get to know the moves that support alignment in your body that will support the extra weight and start doing them as soon as you become pregnant. You have a lot of months after becoming pregnant where you really don’t have that burden of extra weight. So you can take your first first four to five months to start thinking about … and not just thinking actually doing some stuff.

That would include muscle tension interfering with your strength. So feet, calves, hamstrings. These are the tight muscles that tend to pull the pelvis out of alignment.

And so untucking the pelvis – which is something that a lot of people tend to do. If you are sitting down right now, chances are you are sitting with a tucked pelvis.  One of the reason Bradley had you coming out of the couches is because you slouch in the couch and so you end up having this pelvis that tips back and the alignment of your uterus and your pelvis go hand in hand. You want to keep all of those axes vertical.

So stretching those muscles and then of course not using the furniture that encourages slouching are great to transition to while you are pregnant. Even if you need to sit on a couple of pillows that is fine. Having something behind your back that really allows you to kind of slouch and then walking.

I think most people knows enough basic exercise science to know that your muscles respond to what you are doing. So as you are getting more weight, as you are accumulating more mass on your body, it is important that you take that mass and walk around with it. So that your legs and your abdominals and your pelvic floor and your back become stronger as you gain weight.

So that the relationship between your weight and the strength is always even. You never have large surges weight gain during period of inactivity. If you are still working or sitting all day long it is really important that you take breaks. Walking throughout the day – if you gain four or five pounds over a period of a month but really only walk one or two days a week, you are going to find that your body is rapidly becoming weaker.

And then once you have that weakness and then the weight because full under instruction not to the pain comes from. So stretching, walking, reducing your sitting time and learning your alignment will probably my basic essential list for pregnancy and it will help with your delivery as well.

Carrie : Okay, and I will have you know that I am sitting with my bootie sticking out.

Katy : Okay, good.

Carrie : So I am doing good. Which is very difficult to do. If you sit on a sofa it is nearly impossible I find. So I have been trying to get on the floor a lot with my toddler. The only time that I sit during the day for a long period would be if I am sitting and writing for an hour, but I have been putting on my computer on the kitchen counter. When you stand you are never still … I am wiggling and kind of switching back and forth.

My guest this week is Dr. Shekhar Challa. Dr. Challa is a Board- Certified Gastroenterologist with 25 years of experience and the author of 3 books, including his most recent, Probiotics for Dummies.

We’re discussing the importance of probiotics for health, specifically women’s health – during pregnancy, and for babies and kids.

Dr. Challa answered my questions about:

• What probiotics (and prebiotics) actually are;
• Why are probiotics especially important for pregnant women and their babies?
• Illnesses that are associated with dysbiosis (improper balance of good to bad bacteria in the gut)
• What are some foods that contain beneficial bacteria? Can we get enough beneficial bacteria from food?
• How can you find a high quality supplement?

In reading Dr. Challa’s book, I was surprised to find that in many studies, probiotics have shown to improve a variety of health conditions – and not just those directly associated with gut health. We’ve probably only scratched the surface, but research points to probiotics being useful in preventing or treating a variety of illnesses including asthma and allergies, weight gain, even cancer and depression.

Dr. Challa has even developed a video game to educate players about the importance of probiotics. You can get it free at http://microwarriorsvideogame.com/ (Sounds like a Science project the kids will enjoy!)

Probiotics for Dummies also features recipes for foods you can make at home to get more good bacteria into your gut as well as recommendations for choosing a good probiotic supplement.

Note: Dr. Challa has generously offered to answer questions you may have after listening to the interview. Please leave them in the comments below!

Related reading:

• Health benefits of kefir
• Breastfeeding and yeast infection
• Homemade lacto-fermented salsa
• Funky fermented food
• Raw milk yogurt in the slow cooker

My guest on this show is Geraldine O’Keefe of Escape To Sleep, an all-natural sleep aid made from organic aloe, herbs and flowers used traditionally for insomnia to help you relax and even aid in easing gastrointestinal problems.

Geraldine is an Aromatherapist and Certified Herbalist who is talking to us about how to get a good night’s sleep. Some points discussed on this show:

• Why so many struggle with sleep these days.
• Side effects of poor sleep habits
• What is a sleep routine?
• Why women in particular suffer from poor sleep.
• What women can do during pregnancy and the postpartum period to sleep restfully.
• Tips everyone can implement to improve their sleep quality tonight.

Be sure to check out Geraldine’s sleep tonic at Escape to Sleep if you need help in this area.

Note: The audio was a little low on this recording, so please turn up your speakers or use earphones!

My guest on this show is Melinda Friedman of The Dental Essentials.

The Dental Essentials is the first and only nutritional supplement specifically formulated to promote cavity resistance.

The ingredients in The Dental Essentials have been clinical proven to reduce the incidence of cavities by up to 95%. When taken daily, The Dental Essentials can also “re-mineralize” or heal tooth decay that may have already started.

Topics discussed on the show:

• Why parents who feed their kids a healthy diet find that they still have tooth decay
• The role of supplements in preventing cavities
• How the research and work of Dr. May Mellanby and Dr. Weston A. Price align with the science behind Dental Essentials

You can listen to this show by clicking on the mp3 link below. A transcription of this show is below if you prefer to read rather than listen.

Speaker 1:  You’re here with Carrie at Natural Moms talk radio and my guest on the show today is Melinda Freedman of Dental Essentials.  Welcome Melinda.

Speaker 2:  Welcome, thank you.  Thank you.  It’s nice to be here.

Speaker 1:  Yeah, I’m excited to talk about this subject because since becoming a parent, it’s something I’ve done a lot of research about and kind of had a lot of emotional distress about it, so I’m thrilled to find your company and your website and your products. I’m really looking forward to our discussion, but first of all tell us a little more about Dental Essentials.

Speaker 2:  Sure, the Dental Essentials is a small company.  It’s only been around for just under two years.  We create a very small line of nutritional supplements, specifically designed to help reduce the instance of cavities and it is basically following in the nutritional approach.  So we have looked at sort of the history of research that has been done sort of attempting to limit the number of cavities that children get or completely eradicate them through a nutritional approach and we’ve taken the key ingredients, identified the key ingredients, the minerals, the vitamins that were used and distilled them down into a product that’s very simple for people to use.  We have a liquid formulation for younger kids and a tablets formulation for kids who are able to take pills.

Speaker 1:  Right, well I mentioned that a lot of parents like myself, have had kind of an emotional distress when it comes to dental decay and I think that’s because we are trying so hard to feed our kids “healthy diets.”  There is so many different ideas about  what that means and it’s really a topic I have researched for years and years since I was a teenager, really.

And when I became a parent I assumed my children would have the same experience I had, which is that I never had a cavity.   I’m 36.  I’ve never had a cavity. My friends kind of made fun of me growing up, they said you ate “bird seed” at your house.  My parents were really health nuts, you know and I just knew that was going to be the way it was going to be with my kids.  And so when they developed cavities, it made me feel like a failure.

Speaker 2:   Yeah.

Speaker 1:  So a lot of parents find that, even if they are trying to feed their kids a whole food diet, their children still develop decay.  What is contributing to that even in an otherwise healthy diet?

Speaker 2:  Good question and I just want to say that the people that I have encountered and also my personal experience mirror yours dramatically.  I mean, I also expected my children to have the, you know, just the stellar examples of cavity free living and I was shocked, but the thing that shocked me even more then my child getting a cavity, when I thought OK, my diet growing up even though I would have thought it would have been New York City in the 70′s and had flouridated water.  Yeah, my background wasn’t great.  Lots of cavities year after year and I thought, OK, I don’t want my kids to have that sort of experience so I made sure that I was completely different and organic and just you know, 100 mile diet and stuff and just really, really paid attention to it.  So when my daughter developed cavities I was surprised, but what was even more surprising was when I asked the dentist well how can I make sure that this doesn’t happen again, she basically just said floss, brush and like we never do that and…

Speaker 1:  Isn’t that frustrating?

Speaker 2:  “…other than that, there is not much…” and I’m like what is that?

Speaker 1:  Yeah and then you feel like this horrible person, like you don’t have good dental hygiene.

Speaker 2:  Exactly, exactly I’m thinking if it’s as simple as just brushing and flossing we would all have perfect teeth because we had gotten that message loud and clear.

Speaker 1:  Yes.

Speaker 2:  So, but in terms of your question about diet and I think there is really two things that get called into play and this is for people who have fantastic diets and they can eat you know, super healthy and organic eating families, but one of the things that people may not realize is that especially with the big push toward whole grains and things like that, that the grain products that people eat largely have something in it called Phytic Acid, which is naturally occurring and it binds to calcium.

So if you’re making sure that your child is getting enough calcium, but you’re also getting your child delicious whole grain bread chances are good that they are now going to be deficient in calcium because it’s leaching it directly out of the body.  So as much calcium that you’re putting in, it’s just coming right out with the phytic acid.  So that is something to keep in mind, I mean this is if you have cavities, if you’re family doesn’t have cavities then it’s not really an issue, but you know if you’re struggling with cavities one thing to look at is whether they are losing a lot of their calcium through phytic acid intake.

Speaker 1:  OK, so if your child is a carb addict or if you are, be watching for that.  If they eat a lot of crackers and grain based foods.

Speaker 2:  Exactly, exactly.  While carbs are great for energy, but not a whole lot else.  So if that’s something you can get on top of then great.  Another thing that’s doable is soak the grains or to ferment them.  There is a lot of information on a lot of different websites as well as in different books including one that you might have talked about on your website Nouriousing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Speaker 1:  Yeah.

Speaker 2:  Great, great  resource about soaking and fermenting grains and that is through soaking the grain to minimize the fitic acid in the food itself, but it’s still you know, delicious and good for you and all that stuff.  I think the flood people used to soak their oatmeal every night or still do sometimes, but that sort of tradition of soaking your oatmeal every night would help to mitigate the phytic acid.

When I was introducing our products, what I failed to mention was that we’re looking at tooth decay as a result of nutritional deficiencies and this is very clear in research that it’s calcium and vitamin D and vitamin K2 and a couple of other minerals that combine together to create the most highly mineralized teeth and so if you’re lacking in any of those, chances are good you’re at a higher risk of developing cavities.

And so when we’re talking about nutrition, the nutritional talk, the things that I’m mentioning here are having to do with making sure that you don’t have deficiencies and those particular ingredients.  And so the calcium you would likely be calcium deficient if you had too much phytic acid in your diet.  And the other thing I was going to mention because it’s really true is there is a big push for low fat diets, pushing this great idea that low fat is the way to go and you know there maybe some merit there, I’m not going to debate that, but certainly the key vitamins for healthy teeth, vitamin D and vitamin K2 are fat soluable vitamins. So you need to have sufficient fat in the body in order to make them do their job.  So you combine high carb intake with low fat diet and it sounds kind of like hearing what you should do, but ultimately it can be taking a toll especially on all these poor kids who are developing so many cavities.

Speaker 1:  Yeah, something that drives me crazy about the whole low fat craze is that from my own personal research, I believe that low fat doesn’t have a place in a child’s diet when they are developing growing brains, spinal cords that kind of thing.  It drives me nuts that my step daughter is in public school and all they have available in the lunch room is skim milk.  That just drives me crazy.

Speaker 2:  Yup.  I agree, I agree.  Actually my kids friends come over and they see that we’ve got full fat milk and they are like whoo hoo!

Speaker 1:  Yeah, it’s an “evil” thing now, fat.  Well, you mentioned deficiencies.   Now some of these don’t really show up in terms of some big health issue.  You know sometimes it’s hard to know if we have a deficiency.  It’s showing up in the cavity, but we don’t make that connection, so what role does supplementation play in helping to prevent tooth decay?

Speaker 2:  Well, as usual because it’s so easy not to get enough of these key vitamins and minerals.  I mean just vitamin D, I mean there is a lot of information fortunately at the moment about vitamin D in the last couple of years, but you think about, you send your kids out to play, even if you live in a sunny place like Atlanta, but for the most part we are going to slather them in sunscreen for a lot of reasons.  And we cover them up, so the chances of kids getting the kind of vitamin D intake they would’ve had 100 years ago is pretty unusual, very unusual.  And I think you would probably be picked on by friends and neighbors for letting your child out for too long in the sun without being protected.

And then even also just kind of thinking about a kind of more obscure vitamin, like vitamin K2, which is key and really difficult to get enough of in our North American diet, but traditionally for meat eaters, you know if you were eating cow 100 years ago they would be grass fed and now they are grain fed.  So K2 is developed through eating grass, the spring grass that grows yearly and then we consume the cow and you know it’s all a part of that cycle.  But if your cows are now longer providing the kinds of nutrients they would have had 100 years ago, it’s very easy, in fact I think it is pretty epidemic that there is a deficiency of calcium and certainly a deficiency in vitamin D and not is much as known about K2, but certainly through the work of Price and other people it’s comes to the forefront.  It’s been identified of how important it really is and where it comes from.

Speaker 1:  Now K2, is that the nutrient that Dr. Price referred to as activator X?

Speaker 2:  That is correct.

Speaker 1:  OK.  He didn’t know really what it was, but he gave some of his patients grass fed butter.

Speaker 2:  Right and then he just distilled it down to that high vitamin butter oil when he was using it.  Yeah, that is in fact what it is.

Speaker 1:  Well, when you’re talking about getting enough calcium, it made me think of another thing that has been kind of vilified other then fat is just milk.  You know a lot of people have kind of vilified milk because so many people have issues adjusting it perhaps and also the fat issue, but think of the way it was with our grandparents.  The only thing that my dad ever drank growing up was either water of milk.  That was it.  There was no juice.  There was certainly no soda.  Water or milk and it was pretty much the milk was at the table with the meal, so I wonder if that has something to do with the calcium issue.

Speaker 2:  So funny you should say that, my neighbor had two kids and we were talking about tooth decay and stuff like that and neither of her children ever had cavities and I said “oh that’s fantastic” and I had dinner at her house and I had noticed that there was a big bottle of milk on her table during the meal and her kids just helped themselves through the whole meal.  I thought wow, that’s really unusual, but really enlightening as well.  I though no wonder your kids are out completely cavity free and tall too!  I don’t know if that’s a consequence, but I kind of noticed that as well.  But yeah, I mean I agree.  100 years ago, I even remember vaguely my grandparents just kind of looking down their nose at all the orange juice my sister used to drink and certainly and pop or soda that would have been around.

Speaker 1:  Yeah, I remember being a little girl (and I’m telling my age here), but having the little glass bottles, you know on the door step early in the morning.  Ice cold and I believe it was raw at that point in time.  At least it was not homogenized because the cream would rise to the top.

Speaker 2:  Right, right.

Speaker 1:  Yeah, so we mentioned Westin A. Price and your website has information about Dr. Mellonbee and Dr. Pottenger.  So how does their work align with the research behind your products at Dental Essentials?

Speaker 2:  Sure, well I’m going to talk  mainly about Dr. Mellanby’s work just because I find her fascinating.  When we started investigating sort of the link between nutrition and cavities or nutritional deficiencies I should say and cavities.  We quickly came upon Dr. Price because he is fairly well known, but then we came up with Dr. Mellanby, who is this sort of unsung hero in this field.  And she originally started doing her work with her husband who is Dr. Edward Mellanby and he way key in determining that a vitamin D deficiency is what causes rickets in children, which is that sad bone disease where you legs are bow legged and things like that which is prevalent in Europe in the early 1900′s, 1910, 1920′s.

But anyway, she was helping him with his research and noticed that when he was treating children for rickets with vitamin D therapy, their tooth decay miraculously seemed to go away as well.   And she thought that’s very strange so she took it upon herself to create her own trials and sort of make it her life’s work to see the link between vitamin deficiencies and tooth decay.  And so she treated children with vitamin D and calcium and was able to have miraculous results and was able to do things we could never recreate now like taking groups of children, like in an orphanage situation that we wouldn’t have any more and be in complete control of their diet.  So she would have a control group that would eat a good meal, good food by our standards and then she would have another group that she would give exactly the same food, but would also supplement with a little more calcium and I think it was 2000 IU’s of vitamin D a day and just watch them.

Everything else was the same and you know at the end of her study period, there was like a 93, I think it was a 93% decrease in the number of cavities that the kids getting vitamin D and extra calcium were getting.  It was fascinating and fascinating and so what we have done with our products is sort of distill all of her research as well as the research that Westin Price did as well and locate exactly what it was they were giving their children and what proportions and then tried to recreate that in a very easy to use **** because I know there are other products out there.  Certainly people can give their children cod liver oil, they can give them the high vitamin butter oil we were just talking about and those are all great options, but it’s not necessarily for everybody.  I mean I’ve tried that cod liver oil, that cod liver oil and although I think it’s a good product it was difficult and if I had a finicky toddler then it would be extremely difficult.  So we realized that there is a niche for people who don’t necessarily have the finances as well or the reach to find these products.

Speaker 1:  Yeah, my children are a little weird because they like cod liver oil, which I find odd, but right now I’m 16 weeks pregnant and I can tell you my diet has gone in the toilet thanks to unending nausea and vomiting.  I need to be eating better right now more than any other period of my life, but it’s very difficult.  I mean cod liver oil right now, there is absolutely no way.  So I’m very thankful.  I’m taking your capsule product, so I don’t feel quite as guilty about doing what I have to do.

Speaker 2:  Well, that’s good and that’s a lot about what we were thinking about when we started this product is the certain amount of piece of mind.  Especially at home, not saying you or me necessarily, but there are families at home that have a very, very strict control over what their children eat.  You know, minimum sugar and things like that, but then when they go out into the world, they go to school, they go to parties, they go to sporting events and you know everywhere you turn around it’s here you know we’re having a bake sale, it’s somebodies birthday or here let’s have a coke after hockey practice or whatever and they are going to, kids are going to be kids and this is the way to sort of have a little bit of piece of mind that you have at least covering your bases with what you can, with what you can get your kids to take and rest assured that they are at least not going to be deficient in these minerals.   They may be taking in things you don’t love, but at least they are not going to be deficient in these mineralizing vitamins and minerals.

Speaker 1:  Yeah and two we don’t want to create a child that is kind of a social, you know an awkward social thing where the kid doesn’t eat anything, you know that emotional component is important too.  So yeah, my children are taking the drops and my teenage son and myself are using the capsules.  So, it’s great.  I’m really thrilled with what you guys are doing and it’s really nice to feel you know as a parent that you’re empowered and you can do something, you know.  I’m excited to find out what will happen the next time my children have a cleaning because at this last one, they each had a cavity and again, you feel like oh it’s as hard as we try, it’s just very, very difficult.  So I’m really thrilled.

Speaker 2:  Yeah, there is something special about going to the dentist for that check up where you are almost sort of holding your breath to see what happens and if you do find you child has a cavity, it is sort of like shameful kind of how did I let this happen, as opposed to if they had broken an arm or if they got a cold, you don’t necessarily feel that way.  This is something, yeah something about cavities really does hit home and it’s a shame.  It’s a shame.

Speaker 1:  Well, your website is thedentalessentials.com and you’ve some great information here, articles and things that I definitely encourage parents to take a look at and the blog as well with some really neat articles and yeah thank you so much for contacting me and for what you’re doing.  I appreciate it very much.

Speaker 2:  Well, no problem.  Thanks for having me and it’s great to talk about this with you today.

My guest this week is David Luks of Honeydrop beverages.

Honeydrop offers delicious, fresh brewed all natural teas sweetened only with honey.

We’re talking about the recent controversy over honey: how you can avoid buying “fake” honey, why honey from China is not real honey at all (and why this matters to you), why honey is superior to refined sweeteners and artificial sweeteners, and how Honeydrop ensures that the honey that goes into their product is the real deal.

I got a chance to try the Ginger-Lemon flavor and it was awesome! You can find Honeydrop teas in natural food stores such as Whole Foods and they’re also available to order online.

To listen, just click on the grey play button below.

P.S. a recent listener told me she has been having trouble with the audio player. If you’re having difficulties listening, please let me know in the comments so I can troubleshoot!

My guest this week is Rachel McFadden of HappyGreenBabies. We’re talking about Minimalism and Minimalist Parenting.

You can listen to the show by clicking on the grey audio player below the transcript (at the bottom, just before the comments). Or you can read the transcript below.

Carrie: Today we’re going to be talking about minimalist parenting.

For those of you that have been following the blog for the last few weeks, Rachel is the mom behind the Green Mom’s Weekly post that we’re doing every Monday. So, she is the originator of that and we hope that you guys can all join and link up to her weekly green mom’s post on her blog.

Okay so minimalism.

Rachel: Yeah.

Carrie: It’s definitely becoming a thing online. Like last night, I was doing a little bit of googling because I follow a few minimalist logs, but I was looking for some that were a little bit more geared towards moms and parenting. And I found several that I’ll mention later on, but how would you define minimalism?

Rachel: The simplest thing I can say is a simple life. Simplifying the way that we live, and not cluttering it up with stuff. Enjoying the simple things, and not needing actual “stuff” to make us happy.

C: Yeah, definitely. You know, it’s interesting because ten years ago the buzz word was “organization”. There were all these books, blogs and magazines centered around organization. And then there was a kind of an evolution into simple living and I think people realized, wait a sec. I don’t think we can organize this stuff, we have too much!

You basically defined minimalism as a simple approach to life, making more room for life, having less stuff, less clutter.

Many times when we find websites and blog and ebooks about minimalism we find a single person who has a very…

R: …free life?

C: Yeah! What’s the word I’m looking for? Nomadic! A nomadic lifestyle is enviable, but now that we’ve settled down with a family and children, how can we embrace minimalism?

R: Sometimes we get bogged down… like when I was pregnant with my first, with all of the stuff that consumers feel they have to have to have a baby, that’s getting pushed on them by Babies R Us and all these massive baby stores and you have thousands of items you think you need. For this tiny little baby!

I was kind of the same way. I got all this stuff and realized you don’t need it! What’s more important is spending time with the baby, like what we talk about on Green Moms Weekly – attachment parenting.

My son is beside me, looking for his underwear.

C: Even minimalists have underwear!

R: Exactly. So after having my second child I realized that those things you really don’t need. What’s important is spending time with your baby. Being able to “wear” your baby, co-sleeping for me was one of the simplest things I could have done. It made my life a lot less hectic. The bedtime routine, what i remember with my first, trying to get him to sleep in a crib was never successful. He ended up in our bed anyway. So it just seemed simpler to cut out that whole struggle in life anyway.

C: My first crib was a really, really large … laundry basket.

R: Wow.That’s really cool.

C: Another thing that we mentioned briefly is that minimalism seems to be kind of an offshoot from the organization movement of maybe the 80′s and 90;s. There were so many great books being written, blogs and websites and stuff. There was the Get Things Done (GTD) movement, and all the things that shot out from that.

And then it was about simple living, so it transitioned from organizing to simple living. because I think people just realized, wait a minute, I have too much. Too much stuff, too much running around, too many activities, too much house, too much stuff in the house. I need to simplify it. And now it’s kind of even further trickled down to minimalism. What’s the minimal amount that I can have?

R: … and be happy.

C: Yeah, exactly. I was reading the other day that people buy homes (it was on the Happiness Project, Gretchin Rubin’s website)… people often buy things that they may only need once a year, or they buy a home that will never be full except once a year. They buy for the worst case scenario thing. They don’t get the thing that they need for every day. (It’s called “maximum-use imperative.) The big McMansions for people that have one or two children.

R: And you realize you only use one room…

C: And you’re all in that one room all day long!

R: Exactly. All that extra space! For the big Christmas or Thanksgiving that you don’t really need…

C: And you’d be happy with something smaller that would please you every day, not just that one time.

R: A lot of things I’ve read about organizing and becoming a minimalist is you have less clean up. Which creates less stress in your life. Because the less you have, the less you have to put away.

C: Even things like learning curves, for me with new technology, I go through this kind of mini depression when I have a new phone or something new like that. Getting to know it and getting to work it, it feels like such a waste of time and I resent that change.

R: I know, I know.

C: Some people have to have the latest and greatest gadget all the time and I don’t know how they deal with that.

R: I know! It’s crazy too because with things like that, they go out, they become obsolete so fast! We have the latest and greatest thing this week, and two weeks later you have to get it again… is this really making your life better, to have this thing?

Now having kids, I realize you don’t really need all those things.

C: Well this is a challenge for me personally because I see that frugality and minimalism have some things in common. But at the same time, if you are embracing minimalism, you cannot buy the cheapest thing. You have to go for quality.

R: That’s true.

C: I read a great blog post yesterday on Schmutzie. It was called Poor People Cannot Afford Cheap Things. And for me that’s a challenge because I hate to spend money on myself.

R: I do too.

C: I’ll go and buy a cheap pair of shoes, and then they hurt my feet. And I can’t wear them, and I sell them on ebay which is a hassle and headache. If I had just “upsold” and bought the nicer thing that would last for years! How do we get over that?

R: I totally get that conflict. Because one of my best friends lives in Utah. She’s ultimate minimalist. It suits her life, she’s just so happy. She lives in a little house, but she is canning all winter for all of her food for the whole winter. She’s processing deer, using every single part of the deer, including the brains, which she uses for curing the hides.

She’s telling me all about this, and when I think back to the stuff that she owns, she owns things that are made by Patagonia…. all these things that I was like, “Gosh they’re expensive, why are you buying these?” But they last forever! Really, she has had them for … 15 years. These things that she buys… the gear she gets for camping and just living in general, she buys things from Lehman’s. It’s a lot of houseware type stuff but it’s expensive ceramic type pieces and glass pieces that she’s gonna have for a lifetime. As opposed to aluminum junk that people buy for their kitchen so cheaply they get tons of it, she’s going to have that forever.

C: That really is better from an environmental standpoint too. Buying the highest quality thing that you can afford means that you’re going to keep it out of the landfill for years, maybe even pass it down to your children.

R: Absolutely. For me something I want to mention is that me and my husband especially, are huge Craigslist people. I look for the quality items that people are getting rid of. Because I am cheap like you said, and I can find things like that, for cheaper, even though they are quality items.

C: that’s a good tip. I was thinking when it comes to clothing, I like to go to the used stores in the nicer neighborhoods, so I have to drive a little bit.

R: That makes a huge difference. You really can find some nice things that are going to last. My husband just came home with a pair of Keen shoes that kids have. I have a pair of boots myself. But everyone says those boots are going to last you a lifetime. And he got them for $1! These $40 shoes for kids. Yeah, it was a nicer area thrift shop that he went to and found these great items. I’m like, “keep doing that!”.

C: What about trying to get rid of some of the clutter in your home if it’s something that you enjoy, like music or books? What about digitizing it? Is that something that you try to do?

R: That’s something that I aspire to do! Actually I do have a lot of stuff digital already. but I still do aspire to do some of it , I’ve got videotapes and stuff like that that I can just put on the computer. My father has tons of stuff that is CDs and books and videos from when we were growing up. He wants to get everything on digital, get rid of all this clutter.

C: Yeah. What I did just recently and I haven’t written it on the blog yet but plan on it: I have become a fan of Evernote. I love it! I just got my recipe files and scanned everything and put it in my Evernote in a recipe notebook. So now I can actually search by ingredients, so if I have broccoli and chicken and cheese I can put those ingredients in and see what I can come up with.

R: That is great!

C: So now I don’ t have ugly cluttered recipes filling up a drawer in my kitchen.

R: What I love about that is when people are asking me for recipes, I have everything digital so I can just send it to them by email or on my blog or another website that I created. So it’s so much easier! To share that stuff.

C: Another cool thing is, when you travel it’s right there in my phone. The Evernote online syncs with my laptop and phone so when I go out of town and I’ll be cooking with the family and I need a recipe I don’t have to worry about clipping it out or carrying it with me, it’s right there in my phone.

R: That is so cool, I’ve got to get my stepmother on board with that. She has ancient recipes from her mother, ancient stuff that she’s reading off of a smudged piece of paper. It gets more smudged every time she uses it.

C: Exactly! And the thing I hate about that is sometimes you’ll lose a vintage recipe that is passed down from someone. If it’s digital, then you’ll have it forever.

Can you recommend some resources for our listeners to learn more, or blogs that you follow to learn more?

R: Did you mention MinimalistMom? She’s got a book too, and some really great interesting points. And it’s good for anybody to use, not just somebody that is already a minimalist.

C: I just found her blog last night actually. She has written an ebook, The Guide to Baby’s First Year, that would be great for a friend who’s expecting and who is caught up in the glitter of the Toys R Us baby registry.

R: Absolutely! There’s also Family Sized Minimalism, an ebook by MinimalistAtHome.com. It’s writing about somebody that has a lot of space and is working on downsizing and how to go about doing that, and figuring out what you need and all that.

C: That’s great. There’s one that I’ll throw out that I really like. It’s two young single guys, but I just like their style and really enjoy their writing. It’s TheMinimalists.com. They’ve written an ebook I have that’s about $3. They’re hosting some TweetUps throughout the country, so I’m really wanting to meet those guys. And I’m sure you’re familiar with Leo Babauta of Zenhabits? He has 6 kids. So he’s a big minimalist, and his minimalist site is not on ZenHabits, it’s on MnMList.com That’s where he puts the articles about minimalism.

R: There was something else, if you don’t mind, that I wanted to touch on. I was talking with my husband when I told him I was going to be talking with you today.

We were talking about minimalism and birthdays and holidays. Since my oldest son’s birthday is coming up, and Christmas is coming up. I would say, “Please don’t give us any gifts.” We have a party, but we don’t need anything. And sometimes it’s not enough. Because people don’t listen to me. Anyway, we were talking about things for Christmas and birthdays that we can ask for that aren’t stuff. And one of the things he mentioned was memberships or tickets. Maybe membership to the Zoo.

C: Experiences.

R: Yeah! And things that are expensive and you might not take the time to buy. But if people are going to be buying you things, to ask for stuff like that.

C: I love that idea.

R: You get to spend more time with your kids, it’s a great experience for everyone. And you don’t have the cluttered up house because people are buying you stuff.

C: I think that’s a wonderful idea. Not only because it minimizes clutter, but also in terms of what children remember. When we look back on our childhood, we don’t really remember the toys that we had. I couldn’t even tell you what the inside of the house looked like. But I remember the things we did. Going to the Zoo, going to the Circus that time, going to the mountains. That’s what you remember. So that’s a wonderful idea.

R: So that’s my list of things, my in-laws always ask us to provide a Christmas list. And every year it’s so hard for me because I’m like, I don’t need anything. I really don’t. So now that I have this idea, I’m just going to start listing out things we can do for experiences for our family. We really could use that, it gives us time to let go of all the craziness that’s going on in life, and spend some time with each other.

C: Do you have any collections, or hobbies or addictions that make it (minimalism) hard?

R: (Laughs) Let’s see, umm, well… I’ve gotten away from it, but I used to be kind of an electronic junkie. And I’ve totally kind of gone in another direction because we had moved from our old house and bought a house that was not inhabited for 20 years and we were spending time fixing up our house and stuff, and electronics has not been a part of my life for the past couple years since we’ve been here. And it’s actually great. I wish I had been like this in years past. I realize I don’t really need all that stuff.

C: And it’s hard to devote time to it when you have young children.

R: It is hard to devote time to it. But that makes my life easier. I’m addicted to being cheap, so like you said… my Dad is so cheap, I’ve just been raised with not wanting to spend. When I make a purchase, I research it thoroughly. And I do buy quality items but I spend a lot of time mulling over it before I make the purchase.

C: I think my only addiction is children’s books. I have a thing for that. And books in general, but now that I have children I’m always buying children’s books. And I cannot go into a thrift store, a yard sale, a consignment ..

R: … without buying them?

C: That’s the first place I head, is the children’s books. But a couple of months ago I pared own my book collection to the extreme, and I still have 3 large almost to the ceiling bookshelves. But I got rid of a lot them on Amazon.com because I just went through and asked myself, “We might have read this and loved it, but are we doing to read it again in the next 6 months? Have I seen a child pick this book up?”

For me personally, there are certain reference books that I’ll never get rid of. Like Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. The binding is all crap, I’ve had to tape it up, it’s stained, but I refer to it all the time when  a kid is sick. There are books like that you’ll always refer back to. But if I had not opened it up in the last couple of months, it was gone.

R: It was gone.

C: You know what else is hard? When  get a new book that’s supposed to be some great classic that everybody loved, and I read it or read it with my children, or they read it. And we don’t like it! It’s kind of like I have a hard time letting go of it.

R:.. that was supposed to be so great!

C: … and it was totally boring! We have  few of those, so I’ve decided those are going, because I have to be me. Haha! We didn’t love it, so we’re not gonna keep it. On the other hand I have some books that the kids read over and over and over, so I’m totally fine having those all over the house. So you can define it for yourself, you can define minimalism.

R: I’m sitting here looking at my pile of sewing stuff and realizing that it’s one of those things that…

C: Are you crafty? Or  wanna be?

R: I am, but I’m a wanna be! I was more crafty when I had more time when I had less kid stuff to do, so I’m always aspiring to do all this stuff, and i have piles and piles of fabric right here that I don’t get to use.

C: That’s another thing about clutter, if you read articles about why we hold on to it, it’s because that is our “ideal self”. We wish that we had the time for that craft, we hoped when we bought that exercise equipment that we would use it and lose weight, but that’s part of it… we are buying for our ideal self instead of our actual self.

R: Yeah you’re right. Because I’m always telling people, ideally I would be sewing all my curtains in my house.. I’ve done some, but ideally I would be making my children their clothes.

C: You can’t do everything. I’m always always telling my kids, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

R: Yeah, I know. That’s hard for me!

C: I’ve really enjoyed talking with you Rachel, because we’ve chatted a lot on the phone. I’m sure we’ll be talking again soon, I’m sure there’s a lot of things that we could chat about in the future. Great talking with you.

R: Absolutely, great talking with you too.

My guest this week is Lisa Aman, LM of New Life Home Birth.

Lisa is a licensed midwife of over 25 years with a thriving homebirth practice in South Carolina.

We’re talking about her Midwife To Be correspondence course for aspiring midwives.

Lisa is also hosting Homesteading classes for girls ages 7-12 to learn recycled crafts, gardening, herbs, natural health, and healthy cooking.

Lisa encourages midwives who are interested in her mission trip to Uganda to contact her. Be sure to listen to get more details! Lisa’s blog is at DancingMidwife.

My guest this week is Dr. Linda Miles of derma e natural bodycare.

Derma e is an award winning 25 year old company who was just rewarded the 2011 “Natural Choice Award for Best Skin Care Products” by Whole Foods Magazine.

Dr. Miles spoke with me about:

• Ingredients to look for in your skin care products
• How to read product labels
• Ingredients to avoid for use on the skin
• The role supplements play in younger looking skin
• Lifestyle choices that keep you younger looking
• The scoop on sunscreen and parabens
• How to find high quality natural skin care products

This week I spoke with Melissa Fay Greene, fellow Atlanta resident and author of several books, including No Biking in the House Without a Helmet.

Melissa is the mother of 9 children. Her first 4 came to her the usual way, and the second set came via adoption.

Melissa talked with me about her beautiful large family, her decision to adopt internationally, suffering with post adoption depression, the challenge of bringing a new child into the family, life with several spirited boys in the house, whether her mothering style has adapted over the years, and how her biological children have benefited from her decision to adopt.

I loved this interview! It lasts a little longer than most. I hope you take the time to read Melissa’s book. Instead of painting a perfect picture, it portrays a realistic one, complete with tears and laughter. You can read more about Melissa and her family at her website.

My guest this week is Cathy Daub, founder of BirthWorks.org.

BirthWorks is a non-profit organization that certifies women to become childbirth educators and doulas (for more information about hosting a workshop, click here).

They offer childbirth preparation classes and can assist you in locating a doula.

We’re talking about the instinctive wisdom of birthing women,  why birth doesn’t need to be “taught”, and why childbirth education is still valuable. We also discuss why birth has such an impact on early mothering experiences.

Cathy has also written a book; Birthing In The Spirit, you can view a movie about the book on YouTube.

My guest this week is Dr Heather Manley, N.D. “Dr. Heather” is a Naturopathic physician, homeschooling mom and author.

Dr. Heather is sharing some great advice on creating a natural first aid kit for your family.

See which “must have” homeopathic products she recommends you keep on hand for bumps, bruises, burns, bites and stings, as well as advice on administering homeopathic remedies for the beginner.

Heather also spoke with me about her books, Human Body Detectives, a series for children that educates them about the body’s systems in a fun way. Be sure to check out Dr. Heather’s Twitter and Facebook page.

Mentioned on the show: Environmental Working Group’s skin deep page

My guest this week is Dr. Michal Regev. She is a Registered Psychologist and a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist.  Her website is at http://www.drregev.com/

Our topic is mood disorders and depression during pregnancy.

We discuss why women get depressed during pregnancy, symptoms that present and what treatment options are available.

While postpartum depression has received much media attention, many of us are in the dark regarding mood disorders during pregnancy.

According to Dr. Regev, “Between 10-15% of pregnant women develop serious depression while some struggle with anxiety, panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bi-polar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Health care professionals (and families) often fail to recognize the symptoms, so it’s important that we educate ourselves for the well-being of ourselves and our babies.

My guest for this episode is David Burton. David is a registered nurse who works in Tampa, FL at an acute care cardiac ward.

David is also the director of a new movie called InGREEDients, a documentary about chemical food additives and nutrition in America.

InGREEDients is educational for the whole family (although you might want to be careful when viewing certain scenes with some sensitive children). My children have even told some of their friends and grandparents about its message and have become even more avid label readers. InGREEDients exposes the shocking lack of education in the medical community about how food affects our health, and the manufacturer’s refusal to be honest about what’s in their products.

* Friend InGREEDients on Facebook

* If you want to buy the DVD, enter the code “naturalmom” at checkout to get another copy for a friend FREE! (Buy one get one free)

photo credit: N.R.

(Does this child look unsafe to you?)

Safe Babywearing

On Friday, March 12, 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about carrying babies in sling carriers.

Is babywearing dangerous?
Are some baby carriers safe?
How can a parent distinguish which ones are safe and which ones aren’t?

My guest this week is Stephanie Banguilan of GentleJourneysBirthing.com. Stephanie is a childbirth instructor who also hosts babywearing classes in her Georgia hometown.

We’re discussing the specifics of the CPSC warning, which baby carriers may be unsafe, some of the benefits to babywearing as well as common sense safety tip for parents who embrace this ancient practice.

Read more posts and interviews on babywearing.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

My guest this week is Dr. Charlotte Reznick, nationally recognized child educational psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychology at UCLA.

Dr. Reznick is the author of The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success

The book describes easy to use imagination techniques that can help kids with stress, pain, fears, and even treat sleep issues. Most parents realize that children are very good at using their imaginations, why not teach them imagery techniques that they can use for a lifetime?

Find Dr. Reznick online at Imagery for Kids and on Twitter.

My guest this week is Dr. Denise Lamothe, clinical psychologist, doctor of holistic health and the Bach Resident Psychologist.

She is also author of the popular book, The Taming of the Chew.

Dr. Denise is talking with us today about Bach Flower essences, especially for use with kids.

Bach Flower essences are natural plant essences which are used to restore emotional balance. They are safe, not habit forming and are used around the world.

You can learn more about using Bach Flowers for kids  at http://www.bachkids.com/

(Note from Carrie: Last week when my youngest had some dental work, she asked for Rescue Remedy specifically. I had given her an OTC pain reliever for soreness in her mouth, but she didn’t want another dose. She wanted the Rescue Remedy instead!)

Mentioned on the show: Bach Flower Essence Remedy Chooser and Bach Flower Essences Emotional Eating Support Kit

My guest this week is Ivanna Campbell.

She is a mom of 3 little ones and the owner of an online advocacy site, community and resource site for mothers called Empowered Mommies.

Ivanna shares her vision with us of what an empowered mom looks like and how she hopes to provide support to moms who want to make the best decisions for their families.

My guest this week is John Monroe. He is sharing “eye-opening” information with us on natural vision improvement based on the work of Deborah Banker, M.D., an ophthalmologist/general practitioner and internationally known expert on health and vision improvement.

Is it possible to eliminate the need for glasses and improve and prevent eye diseases? Have you ever wondered if eyeglasses actually accelerate the degeneration of your eyes? Listen in and find out!

Learn more about Dr. Banker’s Home Study Vision Improvement Kit here.

My guest this week is Joyce Cooper-Kahn PhD, coauthor of “Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning”

While it sounds complicated, “executive functioning” basically refers to kids with weaknesses in planning and organization. These kids face all kinds of challenges–at school, in sports, in the family, and among their peers.

Do these traits sound familiar?

:  Your child often forgets to turn in assignments at school.

:  S/he arrives at important places unprepared.

: Underestimates the effort involved in projects, has trouble getting started.

: Has trouble organizing space.

Dr. Cooper-Kahn is a clinical psychologist and learning specialist and offers tips for gently parenting a disorganized child.

My guest this week is Laurel McCarthy of CarryMeAway.com

Laurel’s topic is how babywearing can make life with littles a whole lot easier – especially when traveling and visiting relatives, such as around the holiday season.

Laurel contributed an article with more tips on holiday babywearing that you can read here.

Read Carrie’s reviews of two of her favorite baby slings: the Maya Wrap and the Moby Wrap

My guest this week is ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Raymond Hatland, DDS

We’re talking about bottled versus tap water. In our modern age with its focus on convenience, bottled water has become extremely popular. But the plastic bottles are also spawning  massive amounts of trash. The debate between whether or not bottled water or tap water is better to drink has recently become a hot topic for discussion.

Dr. Hatland breaks down the pros and cons of bottled and tap water. Among them:

Bottled water may contain unacceptable levels of the plastic chemicals. i.e. Bpa. (Bisphenol-A) is made from a combination of phenol and acetone.

Bottled water usually has a very acidic pH – this can lead to more inflammation in the body, fluid retention etc. Tap water generally has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

If you opt for tap water, try an activated carbon filter with silver to reduce bacterial count as well as an alkalinizing unit.

Carrie recommends:

Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottles

photo credit: SuperFantastic

My guest this week is Dr. Arculeo of Peak Performance Health Care

Our topic?

Detoxification.

Detox is a buzz word but the concept is certainly not new, and there are many approaches to detoxification that are appropriate for everyone.

How do you know you need to detox?

A few signs of the body not eliminating waste properly: dandruff, psoriasis, acne, dry skin, ezcema, fatigue, headaches, poor digestion, constipation.

This interview will explain what a “nutritional cleanse” is and tell you which foods produce congestion in the body. You will also learn:

• Why detoxification is necessary and beneficial
• Signs your body needs to detoxify
• Who should not go on a cleanse
• How to find a health care practitioner who can guide you through a cleanse

More info on this site about detoxification:

The Detox Bath

photo credit: tallkev

Vitamin D is critical for health.

Vitamin D promotes your immune system, and your body needs vitamin D in ample quantities to provide  protection against microbial invaders like bacteria and viruses (including the H1N1 ‘swine flu’ virus).

Are you a good host (to disease), or a bad one?

Recent studies show that as many as 87% of adults are vitamin D deficient by late winter, and 61% remain deficient even during summer months.

My guest this week is Steven V. Joyal, MD, Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the Life Extension Foundation

Did you know these facts about Vitamin D?

• It benefits cardiovascular function
• Women with higher blood levels of Vitamin D have reduced breast cancer.
• Vitamin D also helps prostate issues
• Vitamin D is not a vitamin! (explained in the interview)
• Current levels of supplementation frequently recommended (such as the RDA) are inadequate – listen to find out what is the proper dose.
• 30 minutes of sun exposure at noon = 10,000 i.u. Vitamin D.
• Learn about a safe and healthy level of sun exposure.

Carrie’s favorite source of Vitamin D:  Nordic Naturals – Lemon Flavored Arctic-D Cod Liver Oil

My guest this week is Dr. Perry Wolk-Weiss, D.C.  of Get Well Center

Dr. Wolk-Weiss is a Chiropractor and author of Ten Commandments for a Healthy Lifestyle.

We’re talking about NAET (Allergy Elimination Technique).

Let’s face it, allergies are a pain.

Avoiding foods and other substances that cause reactions is time consuming and frustrating.

NAET utilizes acupressure to retrain the brain to not overreact to allergens.

NAET is not painful and can be done even on babies. While it’s impossible to say exactly how many treatment sessions a patient will need, typical scenario is 6-12 sessions,  making NAET less expensive than a life of allergy suffering!

Dr. Perry shares stories of individuals whose lifestyles have dramatically changed because of their allergies resolving thanks to NAET.

Read about NAET and its founder: Naet: Say Good-Bye to Your Allergies

Hysterectomy Risks and Alternatives

My guest this week is Nora Coffey, president of the HERS Foundation.

Nora was a guest on the show about a year ago. You can listen to that interview here. Now she joins us again to talk about her new book  (co-authored with Rick Schweikert).

The H Word: The diagnostic studies to evaluate symptoms, alternatives in treatment, and coping with the aftereffects of hysterectomy.

If you think you don’t need to listen to this interview because noone is telling you to get a hysterectomy (castration) right now, I respectfully disagree.

Every woman should inform herself NOW before she’s faced with the decision.

photo credit: cliff1066™

After talking with Nora these two times, reading her book and from my own life hearing stories of women and their experience with hysterectomy (castration), I am convinced that there is a dreadful LACK of appreciation and understanding of the purpose of the female organs – on the part of medical professionals and we women ourselves.

The H Word tells you why hysterectomy is so commonly recommended, the diagnostic studies that should be performed first to evaluate suspect diagnoses, the treatment alternatives that exist, the benefits and risks of those treatments, and probably most importantly – the lifelong functions of the uterus and ovaries, and the lifelong consequences of their removal (castration).

I urge you to listen to this interview and spread the word amongst women you care about!

Mindy Meyer (@Meymin) of  Nourish Your Children is our guest this week. Mindy is a homeschooling mom of 5 who recently completed an ebook and is generously offering a free copy to a listener! More info below.

photo credit: dslrninja

What Are Excitotoxins?

Just as it sounds, excitotoxins “excite” the body tissues, starting with the tongue (wow! that tastes good! want more!) – but not in a good way.  Many of us think of “Chinese restaurant syndrome” and MSG (monosodium glutamates) when we hear the word.

Glutamates exist naturally in some natural, healthy foods but your body is able to handle those without problems. During certain processes (for instance the refining of foods) these are turned into “free glutamates” that do damage to the body.  Sadly, even “organic/natural” foods that are highly processed can contain these excitotoxins.

Mindy’s free worksheet with more information on excitotoxins and how to avoid them is available here:  Nourish Your Children

Mentioned on the show:

- The Weston A. Price Foundation

To win a copy of Mindy’s ebook:

Simply leave a comment below (with a valid email address so I can contact you). The winner will be chosen and notified on Wednesday, October 21 at NOON Eastern time.

Our guest this week is John Roulac, the CEO & Founder of Nutiva, who since 1999 has operated as a values-driven company dedicated to nourishing people and planet.

We’re talking today about the wonders of coconut oil, its many benefits and uses.

John has offered to giveaway a jar of coconut oil to a listener!

Please leave a comment below to qualify.

Tell us your favorite way to use coconut oil.

A winner will be chosen on Friday, September 18th at noon Eastern time.

You can also buy Nutiva products online.

My guest this week is professional dancer and fitness instructor Jennifer Jimenez of Prenatal Dance Fitness.

After a difficult and protracted labor with her first child, Jennifer was left feeling disappointed and depressed.

And she wanted answers. Her search led to the creation of her Prenatal Dance Fitness program.

Jennifer’s DVD helps  women connect with their bodies,  relax and be more comfortable during pregnancy, stay in shape and prepare for an easier (and shorter!) delivery.

“Women have danced to prepare for labor and celebrate birth for centuries,” says Jennifer.

What’s more, many women naturally dance during labor to ease their pain and help bring baby into the world.

Jennifer is giving away a DVD to one NMTR listener!

I would like to limit this giveaway to just the pregnant ladies.

If you’re expecting a baby and would like to win the DVD, leave a comment below (with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win), and your due date.

The winner will randomly be chosen on September 2 at NOON Eastern time.

Leave your comment before then!

Follow Jennifer on Twitter

My guest this week is Shoshana Bennett PhD, author of the newly released Pregnant on Prozac: The Essential Guide to Making the Best Decision for You and Your Baby as well as Postpartum Depression For Dummies

Clinical depression affects 15-20% of pregnant women, sometimes becoming so severe that the moms-to-be attempt suicide.

Mothers of multiples are at even higher risk with more than 25% suffering during pregnancy and postpartum.

Many moms want to avoid taking prescription medication to manage their depression during pregnancy and nursing, so are there viable alternatives?

“Dr. Shosh” discusses some of the various natural treatment options available for pregnant women today.

My guest this week is Wendy Priesnitz of Life Learning and Natural Life magazine.

(Now defunct, Life Learning magazine is currently integrated into Natural Life magazine.)

Natural Life is the brainchild of Wendy and her husband Rolf and has been in publication since 1976, allowing them to “unschool” their children at home while they ran their business. It is a refreshing publication that families who endeavor to life simply, respect the earth, and educate their children at home will love.

Wendy also talked about her newest book called Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier. It’s a collection of essays on unschooling. You can see Wendy’s other books on Amazon here

My guest this week is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. She is the author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome. The GAPS diet has proven helpful in treating autism, ADD/ADHD dyslexia, depression and even schizoprenia.

In this interview, Dr. Natasha talks about how gut health impacts emotional and psychological health, how the GAPS diet came about and the science behind it, and helpful tips for implementing the diet.

Natural Moms Talk Radio listeners have been offered a discount code (enter NMTR at checkout).  Any new customer who uses this code will receive 10% off all products on their first order.

Get more info on the diet and order the book:  http://www.gapsdiet.com/

My guest this week is Dr. Richard Selznick of Shut Down Learner.

He is  a psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist and author of The Shut-Down Learner:  Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child.

Our topic today is the “high spatial learner”, children who thrive with visual-spatial learning (the so called “Lego kid”) but who may struggle with learning in a traditional classroom setting.

Within the first few pages of the book, I recognized my 8 year old son, who can build anything and pick out songs by ear on the piano, but who has difficulty reading and following instructions. If you have a child with this learning style, the book will help you appreciate your child’s unique strengths and point you to resources to assist them so they don’t become discouraged.

Follow Dr. Selznick on Twitter!

What if everything you thought you knew about postpartum fitness was wrong?

This week my guest is Helene Byrne. She is a nationally recognized prenatal and postpartum fitness expert and founder of BeFit-Mom.

Helene is the author of the award winning DVD “Bounce Back Fast! Post Natal Core Conditioning” and the acclaimed book “Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best“.

Helene is on a mission to educate moms about some of the common misconceptions regarding pospartum exercise, including the fact that so many moms are doing ab work totally wrong! Many fitness routines, including the ever popular Pilates, are simply not designed for the postpartum body, and some exercises can do more harm than good.

Helene’s DVD and book offer an effective exercise routine that a postpartum mom can begin at anytime  – even hours after her birth, or years after – to help her recover from childbirth and the effects of pregnancy.

Note to moms: If you’re doing endless crunches to get your abs back in shape with little results, you MUST listen to this show!

My guest this week is Bill Osmunson DDS, MPH, and Fluoride Action Network Spokesperson.

Dr. Bill is a Dentist with 30 years experience. Though an early promoter of fluoride, he has become an outspoken opponent of the overuse of fluoride and urges parents to inform themselves of the risks.

There are several problems with fluoride. For one, it has not been proven to be effective in preventing tooth decay. Second, there are health risks associated with the use (and overuse, which is the current situation with fluoridated water in most U.S. cities) of fluoride. These include: lowered IQ, endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease, weakened bone, severe enamel fluorosis, rheumatoid or arthritic-like pain, and others.

Interesting facts on the risks of fluoride:

– Researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation was never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical.

For more reading, visit the Fluoride Action Network website.

This is an hour long show. Please be sure to listen to it in its entirety!

Below is a video of Dr. Bill talking about some of the concerns with fluoridation. Please spread the word about this show – it’s too important for us not to be informed.

My guest this week is Jo Robinson of EatWild and author of Pasture Perfect: The Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals.

Eating animal products and meat from grass fed animals is the environmentally friendly choice.

Animals raised in confinement are unhealthy and not eating their natural diet. Therefore they require antibiotics and hormones in order to turn a profit for their owners. Their meat and milk is also much more likely to be contaminated with e.coli, salmonella and other pathogens.

When you buy meat and milk from a local, small farmer, you are supporting healthy green eating! Not to mention that grass fed meat is tastier and much healthier. One reason for this is because of the higher amounts of certain nutrients, such as Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA in grass fed.

My guest this week is Patrice London.

Patrice is a Christian unschooling mom of 3 and a doula in training.

In her book Empowered to Birth Naturally, she shares the story of her 3 births. The first took place in a hospital, the second at a birthing center, and the third at home.

I loved Patrice’s book because in a straightforward, nonjudgmental way, she illustrates from personal experience how much our attitudes affect our birthing experiences, and how interfering with the natural childbirth process really does become a “slippery slope” leading to more interventions.

You can find her book at Amazon.com

EMPOWERED TO BIRTH NATURALLY: One Woman’s Journey to Homebirth

My guest this week is Christy Funk of Belly Sprout. Christy owns a retail shop in Orange County, California that sells products like cloth diapers and baby slings that support natural mothering.

She shares how she ended up with a “real” brick and mortar store and some of the challenges she has experienced running the business while being mom to her 3 and 5 year old children (you’ll hear her little ones playing in the background during this interview!).

She also runs Bloom, a non profit organization that supports and educates moms in all aspects of mothering.

Did you see our special series last week on natural beauty treatments?

Amazon.com is currently offering special deals on organic foods. Annie’s Homegrown is up to 45% off regular price. Other brands on sale includes Seventh Generation, Newman’s, Bob’s Red Mill, Tastybaby, and more.

This week we are joined by Cynthia Lair of Cookus Interruptus, an online cooking show that helps us learn how to cook fresh local organic whole foods “despite life’s interruptions”.

Cynthia is also the author of Feeding the Whole Family, a wonderful primer for anyone who wants to eat foods closer to their natural state, but especially helpful for moms who are cooking for people of different ages.

You can put a meal on the table that puts a smile on the hubby’s face as well as small kids and an infant – without spending all day in the kitchen.

You can read my review of the cookbook here: Feeding the Whole Family cookbook review

Cynthia gave me permission to post a sample recipe so I offer you:

Three Sisters Stew

1 cup dried Christmas lima beans*, soaked 6-8 hours
4 cups stock or water
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or ghee (note from Carrie: ghee is clarified butter and it belongs in every kitchen!)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dry oregano
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
2-3 cups delicatta winter squash, cut in chunks
1 14 -ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn

Optional garnish:
½ cup grated cheese

Drain soaking water off beans. Place beans, 2 cups of stock or water and 1 teaspoon of cumin in a pot; bring to boil. Cover and simmer until beans are tender (50-60 minutes) or pressure-cook (45 minutes).

Heat a 4-quart pot, add oil. Add onion, salt and garlic; sauté until onion is soft (5 minutes). Add cumin, oregano, and cinnamon and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add squash and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until squash is soft, (about 20 minutes).

Add ½-1 cup stock or water if mixture is dry. Add cooked beans and corn; simmer until corn is tender. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Serve hot with grated cheese garnish if desired.

Preparation time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Makes 6-8 servings

FOR BABIES 6 MONTHS & OLDER: Reserve some peeled squash cubes, steam well and puree.
FOR BABIES 10 MONTHS & OLDER: Puree some cooked Christmas limas before adding to stew and puree with steamed squash cubes. Serve beans in small amounts to babies.

* kidney, pink or pinto beans can also be used.

My guest this week is KerryAnn Foster. She runs a weeky menu mailer for those following a traditional foods diet. (I’m also a big fan of this way of eating, as promoted by groups like the Weston A. Price and Price-Pottenger foundations.)

KerryAnn has been eating a traditional foods diet for years and has some great advice for moms who want their kids to eat real food. She answers such questions as:

• What are “nutrient dense” foods?
• Feeding children nutrient dense traditional foods.
• How do I get my kids to take cod liver oil?
• How to tweak your food preparation methods for maximum nutrition.
• Dealing with picky kids or husbands.
• Tips for using alternative grains.

KerryAnn also shares some information on having success with a gluten free diet and the health issues she faced before going GF.

Her traditional foods forum has lots of resources and members so you can learn more. If you need more assistance, KerryAnn offers consulting and custom designed, specialty menu mailers.

More related resources you might enjoy:

Green smoothies for kids
Cooking with Coconut Flour (see Carrie’s post about coconut flour pancakes!)
Buy coconut flour in bulk online

I apologize for this week’s “lo fi” show. I’m sick and also have a vomiting 6 year old, so we’re couching out for a few days. I didn’t want this week’s show to be any later so I decided to publish the interview as is.

My guest this week is Lafe Larson of Lafe’s Natural Bodycare.

While some skin care companies are concerned about BPA in their products, Lafe has gone a step further.

His company recently released the first-of-its-kind organic certified baby line packaged in “baby-safe” plastic, free of estrogenic chemicals.

Listen to find out what Carrie’s favorite product was and how she put it to the ultimate test!

In addition to safe skin care for babies and mothers, Lafe’s offers deodorants and intimate products, free of questionable ingredients such as parabens, glycol, PEGs, and sodium laureth.

Lafe also helps clear up some of the confusion around plastics and their affects on the body. You can also read more information at EAFREE.com

Lara Fishman is here to talk about creating study friendly spaces for kids. Whether it’s for doing schoolwork or just relaxing and reading, kids need a space to “chill”.

Lara shares tips on how to create these spaces even if your home is small or siblings are sharing a room. On her site Designers Call you can learn more about her interior design services for budget conscious families.

We’re also hearing from new mom Jill Fehrenbacher of Inhabitots. She is a green design consultant and blogger.

Inhabitots is all about sustainable design and green products for the next generation. Jill helps women keep their sense of style even after becoming a busy mom.

Mentioned on the show:

Elimination Communication – reducing the need for diapers

gDiapers – the cloth/disposable hybrid diaper

This week “Smarter Homemaking” is the theme for this special hour long show, and I have two guests.

First I spoke with New Zealand’s own “ecoman” Malcolm Rands of EcoStore.
After years of success in New Zealand, EcoStore has brought their products to the US.
Malcolm wants to educate Americans about the benefits of using plant-based ingredients for household cleaning, and shares the results that New Zealanders have experienced in terms of family health.  Many people have seen eczema and allergy symptoms improve or disappear all together.

Next you’ll hear from Heather Legler of Modern American Housewife.

She is sharing her love and knowledge of homemaking with us. Our topic is the Art and Science of Homemaking. Check out some of Heather’s book recommendations:

Art of Homemaking and Joy of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole
Organized Home by Real Simple
Worlds Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan
Clutter’s Last Stand: It’s Time to De-Junk Your Life! by Don Aslett

Now about our giveaway!

One commenter will win a Simply Pilates DVD and book set by Jennifer Pohlman. The DVD is a complete beginner or intermediate Pilates workout and the book has full color instructions to make learning the moves easier.

In order to win, just leave a comment below. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, February 4th at (12:00) NOON Eastern time.

Leave one comment to enter once. To increase your chances of winning, do each of the following:

• Mention the contest on your blog, linking to this page
• Twitter about the contest
• Email your friends

Let me know what you did to help spread the word in your comment and please leave a valid email address so I can contact you!

(You must be a resident of the USA or Canada in order to win.)

[Note: The screaming you hear in my intro comments are my daughters playing together in their room!]

This week on the show I spoke with Jennifer Vetere, co-owner of a small, local handmade business for babies, toddlers and their moms at Made By Moms.

No doubt you’ve come across blog posts or news stories about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

Just What Is the CPSIA?

According to Jennifer,

The act, in a nutshell, states that all objects intended for a child 12 or under to use must be “final product, component tested” for lead.

This means that every component in the final product must be tested to meet requirements — the lowest cost I’ve found (at an actual lab) has been $75 per component.

This translates into costs ranging from $375 for a bib to over $600 for one of our Take-Me-Too blankets — quilts wouldn’t even be feasible, as there are usually quite a few fabrics that go into them.

This cost wouldn’t be a burden for a company who manufactures 1,000 of an item, but I make (perhaps) ten blankets or bibs in a line before moving on to my next one.

The worst part is that it covers ORGANIC fabrics — so even my certified-by-the-GOTS Harmony Art blankets would have to be tested.

In addition to hand crafted items, used items for kids will be affected by the CPSIA. Jennifer states:

This act doesn’t just affect handmade, however, it affects our second-hand stores and libraries as well.

Come February 10th, anything that has not been tested becomes a “hazardous material” and banned from sale, trade, or gift.

Libraries with children’s books are face with the option of either a) defying the law and accepting they might be liable for penalties, b) destroying their books or c) testing every children’s book in stock.

According to http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322:

General Counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that would require public, school, academic and museum libraries to either remove all their books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities, beginning on February 10.

“I sincerely doubt that Congress intended to require libraries to be subject to this law, but if Congress does not act soon, libraries across the country will be forced to remove books from the shelves, rather than keep them available to serve the educational needs of our nation’s children.”

At this time of enormous economic upheaval, where more families than ever are using our
library system, this is an unconscionable decision to force them to make.

In addition, second hand retailers face the same situation.  Test, be liable or stop dealing in second-hand children’s articles like clothing, toys and cribs.  Again, at a time when families are relying on the cost savings of places like the Salvation Army and Goodwill, this is unfathomable.

Jennifer continues:

I hope to raise awareness as to how much this will devastate many stores, artisans and small businesses throughout the United States. Many people devoted to green living are reliant on small-scale manufacturers to supply organic, quality, safe cloth diapers, bibs, blankets and clothing — these same people will be at a loss when the government’s good intentions backfire. Come the 10th, I won’t be able to sell, trade, donate or give away my stock — it will have to go right in the garbage, something that stabs me right in the heart.

February 10th has been dubbed “Bankruptcy Day” because of the number of children’s product retailers and manufacturers who will be forced to close their doors.

photo credit: shortfatkid

photo credit: imcountingufoz

This week on the show I spoke with Margarita McClure, creator of Blueberry Diapers and Swaddlebees.

Margarita began sewing cloth diapers for her newborn baby in 2004. By 2005, she had a business in her basement,  Swaddlebees.

Today, Swaddlebees and Blueberry Diapers, McClure’s designer line of premier cloth diapers are favorites of style conscious moms around the world.

On the show we talk about what kinds of women are using cloth diapers, why they choose them, and the benefits of cloth diapering.

Margarita also shares which diapers are her most popular among moms in different parts of the world and secrets to making cloth diapers work for your situation and your baby.

Swaddlebees and Blueberry Diapers…

· Contain no bleach, no chlorine and no pesticides on the cotton fibers.

· Use only organic cotton to insure 100% good health and safety for America’s babies.

· Prints use water-based ink, instead of oil-based. The water used is recycled, treated and cleaned before pumping it back into the sewer system.

· Lamination is a non-solvent based laminate, which does not produce toxic fumes instead of solvent-based urethane laminate, which is what 95% of what most cloth diaper manufacturers use.

· All fabrics (except for the Minky diaper’s outer shell), is made in the US. This ensures us that the fabric meets minimum standards for safety and is free from contaminants.

· Is the only company that integrates hemp & organic cotton in the absorbent pads for our diapers, which makes them one of the most absorbent diapers in our industry.

· Uses all biodegradable packaging on our products.

Mentioned on the show: Green smoothies for kids and half price ads on Natural Moms Talk Radio

I realized that if you aren’t on my business newsletter, you may not have heard this announcement. (You can sign up for that here.)

For the month of January, I’m offering HALF PRICE advertising on Natural Moms Talk Radio.

You will have to email me personally at clauth@gmail.com, tell me what you want and I’ll send you a Paypal invoice.

This is a fantastic deal!

Please pass along the word if you know a great green business looking for exposure to my listening audience and/or website visitors.

Thanks

Michelle Barone is a licensed marriage and family therapist who counsels families to assist them in finding their way in homeschooling their children.

Her book is called “Finding Your Way – Exploring Your Family’s Educational Journey”

Making the decision to homeschool is a big one and parents may be overwhelmed by the options.

This book contains exercises that helps parents figure out their feelings and expectations about education. It is a workbook of discussion topics and thought provoking exercises and also lists many resources for more information. The book encourages parents to dig deep into their memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings about family and education in order to find a way of homeschooling that works for them.

It also takes parents into their family of origin and how those feelings around education can affect homeschooling, especially when challenges come up.

It’s common for parents to have fears around homeschooling. Michelle finds that parents are worried about things that may or may not happen in the future, which is not particularly helpful. She suggests taking it one year (or one month) at a time and think about what’s going to be most helpful for right now.

Michelle says that thinking about your personality style and your child’s learning style and designing homeschooling around that is one way to have success with homeschooling. An effective method to alleviate fear is to have more information. Michelle offers phone consultations to assist families.

My guest this week is Shelly Kalnitsky of Cell Phone Radiation News Bureau and WaveShield.

CPRN was created to educate people on the latest news concerning cell phones.

Today we’re talking about cell phones and children.

Children are at greatest risk from cell phone radiation because their brain tissues are still developing. Radiation goes deeper into their brain than adults because their skulls are thinner. And yet kids (especially teenagers) seem to live on the phone.

Some common symptoms are headache, fatigue, insomnia, hearing difficulties, short term memory loss.

There is a connection between cell phones and cancer, especially in areas right behind the ear and also the parotid (salivary glands).

Switzerland, Sweden and England have implemented boundaries around the use of cell phones for their youngest citizens.

Many people use cell phones far too much. Instead of using them selectively, for emergencies and such, people use cell phones to avoid simply planning ahead. Much cell phone use is disruptive instead of helpful.

Shelly noted that cell phone users exhibit addictive behavior, constantly checking their phones and even leaving movie theatres to take calls.

Shelly found a material that blocks 99% of radiation that is used to protect people who work in radioactive environments. He created a product called WaveShield that you can simply stick on your cell or cordless phone. The ear happens to have the highest absorption rate of radiation of any area in the body.

A recent study from UCLA showed that pregnant women who use cell phones can increase their child’s risk of autism. A world reknowned neurosurgeon who concluded a 15 year study recently predicted that cell phones may cause more cancer than cigarettes.

The website lists cell phone manufacturers’ product radiation levels. It would be smart to check their listings to buy a model with lower radiation levels the next time you purchase a phone. Headset phones that stay on your ear are especially dangerous. Reports have shown that a man’s fertility can be negatively affected when their phones are kept on their hip.

Some people notice symptoms from their computer monitors as well, especially if they use a computer for several hours a day.

Shelly comments that everyone who claims that cell phones are safe are either ignorant of the facts or getting a paycheck from the industry.

photo credit: snappybex

My guest this week is Dayna Martin of The Sparkling Martins.

Dayna is a nationally recognized expert, writer and speaker on Unschooling. Her blog is a fun and fascinating look into the daily life of an unschooling family.

Dayna and her husband own a natural wooden toys business, Willow Toys.

We’re talking about natural parenting advocacy. Dayna talks about how moms can find an area they’re passionate about in order to pursue advocacy and then how to get their voice heard.

We also talked about how a mom’s attitude about breastfeeding is such an important aspect of creating success. Visualization and an optimistic worldview has a tremendous impact on birth and breastfeeding.

Dayna also recommends avoiding things that make you feel bad and guilty and fearful and instead doing the things that make you feel good. As an example, exercise during pregnancy. If you enjoy walking more than doing pelvic tilts, then forget the pelvic tilts and walk!

Ditto for nutrition. Instead of being dogmatic and righteous about your choices, it’s better to find what foods make you feel well and healthy. If you take in fear with your food, you absorb less of the nutrients. This has been documented scientifically. What you believe about food and health tends to come true for you.

Dayna encourages moms to find what feels good and right for them for their births and use that method instead of sticking to a preconceived idea. For instance, Dayna listened to heavy metal music during her birth because it worked for her instead of new age soft music. Dayna is developing a natural childbirth method that helps moms find what clicks with them as individuals.

To be an authentic parent, we need to be who we are instead of living someone else’s script. Many people shift from mainstream parenting to natural parenting but this doesn’t mean doing what others are doing. I mentioned how uncomfortable I am with the question “What is a natural mom?” because I don’t want to set up some ideal. It’s about listening to your instincts instead of relying on external experts.

Mentioned on the show:
Ideal Bite – daily green living tips
Vital Juice – weekly health tips for moms
Margin Seligman’s books on optimism and happiness

Generation Text

Dr. Michael Osit is a licensed clinical psychiatrist and author of Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything

In the book, Dr. Osit reveals how the combination of high-tech interaction and immediate gratification is putting our children at risk for developing distorted self-image, poor work ethic, a sense of entitlement, and weakened social skills, as well as aggressive tendencies.

Points from the show:

Conflicts between parents and kids is changing and often the core of that conflict is some technological device. The “generation gap” has morphed into a generation crater. In previous generations, kids thought they knew more than their parents but really didn’t. Now, however, kids often DO understand more – especially about technology.

Kids spend more than half of their playtime in front of screens. That’s making them disconnected to the family.

Why should parents be concerned about this?

1. Social skills - there is a lot of intermachine interaction instead of people interaction, so kids are not learning to pick up social nuances. For example, texting eliminates many challenges socially that contain important lessons for kids and teens to learn.
2. Values - the attitudes and behavior of kids has declined because modern kids have access to the world. The messages they get are not always appropriate.
3. Anonymity – we get more brazen and nervy when using technology. That’s not always healthy for relationships.

Dr. Osit talks about “access” and “excess” in his book.

Access refers to easy availability of the world and other people. Kids can be all over the world in their bedrooms.

Excess – kids have too many privileges and possessions. It’s not unheard of for 7 year old girls to have spa days, sushi in school lunches, limos for the 6th grade dance, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things but there is a sense of entitlement with these things. What’s acceptable for the age is not always appropriate.

Instant Gratification

Too much technology can lead to weak delayed gratification muscles. As parents we need to help our kids learn how to delay gratification in order for them to be happy, healthy adults. Kids don’t understand the difference between wanting and needing a new iPod. We don’t have to be patient and wait anymore in our microwave, instant download society.

Many parents are going overboard in expending too much money, time and resources. We’ve become too child centered (note from Carrie: this is a good point that is also mentioned in the The Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost). Parents are operating in a busier, fast paced world. Because of guilt we say yes, sometimes to compensate for a lack of time. Dr. Osit suggests that kids earn more of their technology instead of always getting it right away.

Studies show that kids – even teens – really do respect and admire their parents and want to do right and even spend more time with their parents. We need to start creating more balance with our kids.

When used the right way, technology can be a parent’s asset. For instance, with shy kids technology can boost their social ability. It can compensate for their weakness.

Establish limits and boundaries with your kids before you give your child the privilege of using technology such as the internet. Instruct them on what they should do for example, if they come across pornography online. Computers should be kept in a public area of the home and the rules of use posted nearby. Parental controls are easy to implement. Kids should be coached to come to the parents if they stumble on something inappropriate online. Encourage them to come to you if that happens and help them understand that you won’t get angry but will talk about it. This is an opportunity for you to hand down your values to your kids.

Dr. Osit suggests eliminating distractions during family times. Turning off cell phones at the dinner table and on family outings, for instance. Model the behavior as well. If a parent is addicted to their “Crackberry” they can hardly criticize their child for being addicted to their Nintendo DS!

Keep perspective. What’s common isn’t always what’s best. Just because another family is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right.

This week we are joined by Victoria Jennings, Ph.D. Victoria is an anthropologist and she specializes in reproductive health. She directs the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University.

We’re talking about natural methods of family planning.

Victoria developed Cycle Beads – an easy to use, totally natural tool that makes it much easier to use natural family planning to predict ovulation and either prevent or plan a pregnancy.

Cycle Beads are also useful for women to use not as a birth control device but to be more aware of their cycle. Young women just starting their cycle could use them to educate themselves.

Studies have found that many people who choose natural family planning do so because it has no worrisome side effects.

Dr. Jennings says that the failure rate of using Cycle Beads is about 5%.

Women who have irregular cycles may not want to use Cycle Beads, but the majority of women can use them quite effectively.

Moms who are nursing notice that breastfeeding has an effect on their cycle. It may take months or longer for fertility to return when a mom is nursing her baby. She needs to have had 4 periods after the birth of her baby before she begins using Cycle Beads for best results. And, her most recent cycle needs to have been between 26 – 32 days.

There are a few different methods that fall under the umbrella of natural family planning. Dr. Jennings explains the differences between the calendar method, the Billings method, the two-day method, and others.

Dr. Jennings notes that natural methods are “couple” methods. Communication and clear agreements are required for it to work successfully. Advocates of NFP say it brings a couple closer because they have to modify their sexual behavior. If one party is not willing to participate in the process, NFP may not be the best method for them.

While there may be no hard science to prove this, it’s logical to think that NFP has a positive impact on a couple since it opens dialogue about their sexuality and their relationship.

expecting parents finance guide