just starting out

August 9, 2003

We seem to have weathered our first serious illness. It was " only " strep

throat but the impact it had on the kids was quite severe (we've had

flus, fifth's, chicken pox, croup, etc., but this was the first illness

that really took a toll on the kids). So far I have used no drugs and as

such started looking for more herb information. I have " Smart

Choices... " and " How to Raise...In Spite of Your Doctor " but these

simply give advice, BTDT and herbal recommendations.

I wanted more of a background on herbal philosophies and found one

really good (IMO) book - " Natural Healing with Herbs " by Humbart

Santillo (interestingly enough with a foreward by Mendelsohn). Now I

know how to determine herbal remedy portion (ratio of adult dosage x

child's weight and apply to acute dosage (upper limit) or lower limit) -

I have been overmedicating the kids in all previous illnesses (and they

are LOVING not having to take so much goldenseal!!! ).

So here are my questions. In the naturopath and herbalist world, are

these ideas commonly accepted:

1) after an acute illness, it takes 3 to 7 days for the toxins from the

disease to leave the body, and as such, the same herbal formula which

was used to treat the acute illness should be used - but at the lower

limits. " This stage of the disease is known as the " abatement " or

" absorption " st6age in naturopathic medicine. "

2) after the abatement/absorbtion stage, you use another forumula to

rebuild the body (a tonic/nurtitive formula). (this makes sense to me)

3) almost all of Santillo's ( " Smokey's " ) herbal recommendations for

specific illness include enemas. He is really big on enemas for

absolutely everything - including hiccups. I can understand some of the

theory - the enema removes toxins and cleans the bloodstream and allows

for the absorbtion of specific herbs. I can see the use of enemas in

many illnesses, but I can't imagine giving one to any of the kids for

colds/fevers/etc. Do you use enemas with your kids regularly? It almost

seems that from Smokey's book, if you don't use enemas, the herbal

remedies won't have much of a base to work on as your intestines would

be constantly full of toxins, repolluting the blood.

4) Oh, and the fasting/cleansing diets. He is really big on those too -

and like enemas, I can see the idea behind them, but also can't see

having sick kids (who don't have a LOT of fat to spare) fasting on

carrot juice, etc. - it seems like you're not giving their little bodies

enough to fight with. I can see it more for adults...

Smokey has his own 10 herbal therapies; I know that these are specific

to him, but are they generally accepted in the naturopathic/herbalist

world? (Blood Purification, Carminative, Deobstruent, Diaphoresis,

Emesis, Heat Dispelling, Purgation, Stimulation, Tonification, and

Tranquilization)

Lastly, on a personal note, Caroline (3.5y) is in the acute stage of

strep but has great energy and appetite, Jesse (9y) is in the abatement

stage and Pike (7y) seems to have managed to avoid it. I think Ellen

(20mo) might be getting sick (clingy and nursing like a fiend). I can't

get any vitamins or herbs in her; how would they translate to

breastmilk? I would most likely be doing garlic powder, GSE, goldenseal,

myhr and Vit C.

Thanks so much and happy Saturday!

August 9, 2003

The best thing I can tell you is make yourself some TOTAL TONIC.... and take it daily. You do not have to let it age or ferment as it sounds like you need it now... along with ECHINACEA PLUS....

Total Tonic Formula1 Handful of Garlic Cloves1 Handful of chopped Onions1 Handful of chopped Ginger1 Handful of chopped Horseradish1/2 handful of chopped Habanero Peppers.Throw in a blender and cover with an inch or two of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.All ingredients should be ORGANIC, but don't let that stop you from making thisgreat formula. You can use the mash right away or wait two weeks and tincture.

Echinacea Plus FormulaHow to makeThrow your fresh chopped-up Echinacea Angustafolia roots into a blender with 100 Proof Vodka / Everclear / Alcohol and puree. Pour mixture into a gallon jar so that by the time you are finished, at least 2/3rds to 3/4ers of the jar is filled with plant matter. Shake this mixture at least once a day.Best is to make on the new moon and press on the full moon.After you have pressed out the plant matter after a minimum of 14 days, you should have about 3/4'ers of you jar filled with your freshly made tincture. Add 3 dropperfuls of Cayenne tincture and 3 dropperfuls of freshly squeezedGarlic juice. This is the Echinacea Plus formula.You should take the echinacea for a week then off of it for a week ... do not take it long term - on a week off a week on a week as needed.

Also a total body cleanse would be very good...A good cleanse will get all the toxins out of your body.as long as your diet is healthy.. otherwise you will be back where you started if you aren't eating healthy..

you didn't say what your diet consists of.....what do you eat and drink...?

I am not familiar with Santillo........ however the above two things would be very good.. also total tonic can be taken if you are breastfeeding..

As for dosages:

Doc Christopher's dosage formula is still the best I know of and I use it exclusively all the time. It's called the 150 rule. Take a person's weight and put that figure over 150. Reduce the resultant fraction down to its smallest common denominator and you have your dosage. I never go by age as that is too uncertain. You may have a six month old who weighs 15 lbs or 30 lbs depending on genetic makeup, health, etc. I would give these two babies totally different dosages though I might start both on just one drop of a tincture. Using the above rule, it would work out this way:Baby #1 @ 15 lbs would get this dosage. 15/150 reduces to 1/10th the normal dosage.Baby #2 @ 30 lbs would get this dosage. 30/150 reduces to 1/5th the normal dosage.When it comes to babies and the elderly who are really sick, I will test "one drop" on the patients tongue to see if

there is any adverse reaction first, and if none, will work up to the above formula dosages usually within the first day, always monitoring as I go along and increasing the dosage. I've given Cayenne to very young children starting with drops and ending with dropperfuls to tremendous results.

Check out the files - there are some great articles and formulas there.

Suzi