Happy 7th Birthday!

What a fun filled birthday week we had loaded with all kinds of food!  My son turned 7 this past week, and we started the celebration with a Chuck E Cheese party complete with pizza, vanilla ice cream cups, and cake.  Round 2 of the party week was dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, where he had more ice cream along with chicken tenders and soda pop.  Then round 3 was pizza, lasagna, bread sticks, all topped off with a Dairy Queen Oreo ice cream cake.  A few years ago I could have only dreamed of him eating such enjoyable foods without allergic reactions.  Now, thankfully, it's our reality!  Life is good!!

We're still doing NAET and working on the peanut allergy.  He's had 4 treatments so far.  The last one was interesting as my son's nose became congested at the 12 minute mark, in which the doctor came back in and did another treatment on him.  Magically it cleared up shortly after.  The doctor explained that it was an energy blockage showing up.  Whatever it was, there's no denying that it stopped after she re-treated him.

Laundry

One of the first things one attempts to change when their little one has eczema is the laundry detergent.  I remember trying Dreft, which is made with babies in mind, then only to find out that it really isn't so gentle on the skin.  For many years we switched to a powdered plant based detergent from Trader Joes or 7th Generation.  Fortunately for us, my son did well with those.  The downside is that the clothes were dingy and the fresh laundry smell was non-existent.  I then started adding eucalyptus drops and white vinegar to the rise cycle.  The drops gave it a little better smell, and is said to kill dust mites, while the vinegar substituted for fabric softner.

Over the last 6 months or so I have gone back to the All Free & Clear detergent, and my son has done well.  Still there is none of that fresh laundry smell.  I notice when my son's friends come over, they smell so good, and their houses smell good.  The smell is clean laundry.  I'd really like to have some of that.

Well, on vacation the condo we were in had some good smelling Tide with Frebreeze.  I took a chance and used it, and lo- and -behold, no reaction!  It was awesome.  So when we got back in town I went to buy some, only to become distracted at Tartget by the Method brand plant based fabric softener.  I opted for this since it seemed to be more natural, and it was a little less expensive.  I did the laundry, and we too had great smelling clothes.  BUT...it did not agree with my son's skin.  Sadly, he started itching.  And I remember being at the store looking over the options with him, when he said he had to get out of that aisle as he could feel it bothering his eyes. 

It's not the end of the world, just another lesson.  So obviously he still does have an issue here and there, but look how far he's come!!!  I'm still going to try the Tide (even if it's just on my clothes.) 

All is good!

I was just reminded that it's been quite some time since I've updated.  All is good, just busy with life and haven't had much extra time to sit down and type.

My son has gained 4 pounds since my last post (10% of his body weight!)  He's eating SO much, and tolerating it all quite well.  I do think that adding more junk to his diet impacts his ability to focus a bit, so I'm considering adding a supplement called Kid's Liquid Attention.  My dental hygienist discovered this when her son was having a lot of issues at school, to the point that the teachers wanted her to medicate her son (I do think that it should be the doctors, not the teachers recommending when to medicate.)  She said it was like night and day, and the school couldn't believe how well he turned around.  It has a lot of B vitamins and magnesium that are good for the nervous system and the brain, and reduces anxiety.

We did get the uKnow Peanut test results back, and it was disappointing.  You may recall that this tests which peanut proteins one is allergic to, as certain protein allergies are more severe.  My son is showing extremely allergic to the most dangerous proteins.  The allergist expects a life long allergy.

We have had one NAET treatment for peanuts.  I had a long talk with the doctor about this, as she's putting herself in a very liable situation.  She has a lot of success with NAET and anaphylactic allergies, and has no concerns proceeding with the treatments.  It's going to take many, many treatments as it's baby stepped all the way.  The good news is that we don't have to pay for each visit while we go through the process.  There'll be times when he's treated through me, and then times when he's ready to be treated directly (those we pay for.)

Peanut IgE

Well, the latest peanut IgE blood test is in, and my son is still at >100, which is the maximum.  He has tested at ages 2, 5, and now almost 7 with the same result.  We have done no alternative treatment what-so-ever for peanuts, but hopepfully we can get to working on this soon.  The last two treatments for were his nervous system and anxiety.

New Epi Pen Technology

Sanofi has announce the new wave of Epi-Pens..."Auvi-Q is the first-and-only epinephrine auto-injector with audio and visual cues for the emergency treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions in people who are at risk for or have a history of anaphylaxis. The size and shape of a credit card and the thickness of a smart phone, Auvi-Q is a breakthrough in epinephrine auto-injector device design that talks patients and caregivers step-by-step through the injection process."

I haven't seen or tried these yet, but I will be bringing it up with our allergist at our next appointment.  I've heard the cost is less than what one might expect, no more than the traditional epi (and possibly even less??)




 

New Wave of Vaccines--Oil Based

There is a new wave of oil-based vaccines that are getting ready to be rolled out.  The oil base aggrevates the immune system even more, causing the body to produce antibodies against the disease and also increases the auto-immune response.  Oil based adjuvants are frequently used in lab animals to cause rheumatoid arthritis, so why are they allowed to be used on our children?  http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2013-01-26/new-generation-of-vaccine-adjuvants-worst-ever/

Preparing for Peanuts

We are making preparations to start NAET treatment for peanuts.  Dr. Devi, the developer of NAET, recommends that blood work be taken prior to starting the peanut protocol for comparison purposes.  Our allergist was able to provide me with a uKnow Peanut test kit that I previously discussed.  We just have to go in for the blood work and provide the resutls.  This particular blood test is new to the US, and I don't believe it's covered by insurance at this time.  I expect it will cost me $300.  I could have opted for a standard RAST test, but since this test is more inclusive and able to identify specific peanut protein allergies, we decided to proceed with this one. 

Overall my son is continuing to do well.  He's eating quite a bit of wheat these days, and seems no worse for the wear.  He did have a flavored Aquafina water the other night before I could check the ingredients, and he was BOUNCING off the walls.  Have you ever looked at what's in that stuff?  It looks so unassuming, yet it's filled with artificial sweeter and other unnecessary stuff.  He sure did enjoy it though...

Aquafina Citrus Blend FlavorSplash Ingredients:


Filtered Water, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzonate, Sodium Citrate, Sucralose (splenda) Calcium Disodium EDTA.

U.S. Federal Court Acknowleges Vaccines Cause Brain Injuries

This December 2012 US Federal Court decision may be the first of it's kid to recognize that vaccines (the MMR in this case) directly causes brain injury, setting the precedent for future lawsuits, payments, etc. It's a major milestone to have a court acknowledge the fact that there are vaccines that do cause brain injuries.  The Petitioners alleged that as a result of “all the vaccinations administered to their son from March 25, 2003, through February 22, 2005, and more specifically, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations administered to him on December 19, 2003 and May 10, 2004,” their son suffered “a severe and debilitating injury to his brain, described as Autism Spectrum Disorder (‘ASD’).” Damages awarded were just under $1 Million. Not a lot of a lifetime of care, but a major victory none-the-less.

http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/CAMPBELL-SMITH.MOJABI-PROFFER.12.13.2012.pdf

Homeopathy Flu Remedy & Preventative

My area of the country is experiencing a bad flu outbreak, with already 4 pediatric deaths reported.  My son has been instructed by medical doctors not to proceed with further vaccinations due to the complications he has experienced in the past.  So what is a mother to do?  Look for alternatives and keep his immune system strong is what I've chosen to do.  A few years ago I was introduced to one such alternative by a Pediatrician out of Ann Arbor, MI who once practiced traditional Western medicine but has since taken a holistic approach. You can check out her practice, NourishMD.  The medication is called Mucococcinium, and it's a homeopathic remedy formulated to elevate the body’s immune system to combat all types of influenza and respiratory colds.  It’s clinically proven to be 88% effective at preventing the flu and 82% effective at treating the flu-- 2.5 times more effective than the flu vaccine.  As a preventative, my family takes it twice per month.

Fruit Loops and Happy Meals

Another day traveling, and another food advernture.  This time it was Fruit Loops (with cow milk) for breakfast and a McDonald's chicken nugget happy meal for lunch.  I think my son was in heaven.  I once read that only 4% of the U.S. population does not visit McDonald's in a year.  We defintiely fall into that small group of people, so for my son this was a real rariety that he thoroughly enjoyed.  Funny thing is that I recall my parents taking me there atleast weekly and when I was 6  years old I was putting away a Big Mac no problem, my kid probably hasn't ever heard of a Big Mac. 

I'm seeing a pattern here...the more foods he can tolerate, the worse his diet is becoming. He actually does eat healthy most of the time, but it's nice that he can induldge from time-to-time.  This is what we've worked for!

Edited:  As suspected, I asked my son if he knows what a Big Mac is.  He had no clue, so we had to Google it.  He was shocked to learn that it was a sandwich with an extra piece of bread layered in it.  He quickly stated that he does not want one, but dad probably would!