Alternative Medicine Rant

Wow! I feel like my blog just got caught in a nuclear dump. It's like my brain has been sucked plain clean of most all other things. But that is not the case. I am still here, just the same old me, and I want to move to the other side of the track again by talking about the difficulties of working as a professional and working as a mother when it comes to adequately caring for my children. Yesterday I took the boys to Ryan (as you may remember from a recent post Canyon was feeling bad enough that this was his main point in every discussion we had for two days straight). A long time ago I stopped using Western medicine as an approach to healing my boys when they get ill. Of course, I went through the w. medicine stuff originally, and it took me about 1 1/2 years after returning to Boise to find an alternative care provider I trusted. Out East River had a doc that made house-calls and was only one block from our first (my second and the one before my third and their second)home in Jersey. Dr. Joe was real good, but he did talk us into a slow immunization process that the first shot of resulted in health problems for River that we are still dealing with today. When we moved to Philly I spent the whole year trying to heal River and not finding anyone I liked besides a chiropractor in Jersey. Everyone acted like I was crazy (and most still do) when I talk about the link I see between River's immunization and the consequent gland issues that persisted until the awful infection that he got in February of '05. No one would connect the dots with me, and it was so obvious the things were related that I went insane for a bit. The good news is that I am now pretty conversant on the variety of alternative healing modalities available from homeopathic remedies, to herbs, to acupuncture and energy work. Also, I found Ryan, who after about 6 months of working with River prescribed herbs that have actually reduced scar tissue and increased circulation to the infected gland. Wow, that was such a relief. Anyways, my point (well one of them) is that before Ryan, I would go through all the regular stuff when my kids got sick. Call the doc, go in immediately, get harassed about their weight and the fact they aren't immunized then go home with nothing more than a bottle of Tylenol (which, you guessed it, I refuse to give for fever because I believe fevers serve a purpose in fighting infection but I will give for pain). I have continued to refuse anti-biotics (except for when it was the only option in the gland infection situation) although I do keep a bottle in the fridge that is unopened and available for a prescribed emergency. There was the awful ambulance ride due to severe croup the first night of our vacation at the OR coast this summer, the shot of steroids in Canyon's leg, the respirator and the EMT telling me to pray (which I promptly did).Canyon fighting the mask and i.v, his eyes rolling back in his head, the doctor berating me for not immunizing (croup is not prevented by vaccination) while I am comforting my now super traumatized kid, and the welcome ibuprofen to prevent more swelling of his respiratory tube, but that is as far as we have gone in and as far as I plan on getting unless needed. I should mention here that my dad is a retired physician and I like doctors in general, but feel that w. medicine is way too narrow for the kind of health I am trying to achieve for my kids. So, we haven't been to Ryan for awhile because of my work schedule. Right after my miscarriage I took the boys in for bodywork and to get some herbs to help me release the leftovers of the pregnancy (they helped a lot and it was so nice the way Ryan talked me through the emotional stuff and offered real help for the physical trauma my body was (and still is) going through in the shift to and from pregnancy). But in any case, the boys had not gone in for awhile, and since I have been working (especially the legislative stuff) I have not been the primary food provider, so they have been getting more processed food. Let me say here how grateful I am to my mom and Trish for the loving care they provide for my kids. They do a great job, we are so lucky to have them, and they stay within the parameters of low-sugar and no gluten for the most part. But there has been a rapid increase in gluten free cookies in the boys diet and a decrease in fresh almond milk and greens. To me, I have been watching this change develop for a few months and can link Canyon's rash to foods consumed and River's stuff too. Ryan agreed. "Its a fungal infection caused by a change in their diet." "Why are my kids so sensitive?" "Because you have done such a good job of keeping them away from stuff most kids get used to early on" So there is the conundrum, should I allow my kids to become toxic so they ultimately have a higher tolerance or should I move us back to cleaner food? Well, the choice is really not that hard for me: I have prohibited daily cookies (my mom told me she wishes I had taken more science classes--they get sick from bugs, not sugar---hmmm...nutritional science points to real links between sugar and decreased immune function...but my mother and I will likely never resolve this perception that I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to my kids nutrition), and made almond milk this morning. That's our new start. River is on herbs for his recent digestive woes, and Canyon has a wash for his rash that feels really good to him. I am picking up more herbs for Canyon on Friday when I get my treatment for my back and continuing issues with my cycle. All that stuff you didn't really mean to find out huh...well, sorry for the long ride. I think women face unique struggles in caring for all their children's needs and working for critically required pay. If I drop the ball on health, play dates, birthdays, school stuff, clean-up it stays dropped. While daddy and my mom and Trish pick up a lot of the stray ends, it seems like the level of engagement I maintained as a stay at homer is really an effect of being the MOM and thus my standards are very high still. I know that sounds kind of weird, like I am being critical of my children's other caregivers, but that isn't what I mean, I just know from experience that I am usually the only one laying awake at night worrying about party favors, or stomach pain, or River's first day in the primaries. This is hard-wired in me in a way that Charlie is freed of. So I have two full-time jobs, and I feel like I may be getting back to a place where I do them both well. But I worry about this and if I am capable of it. What has to go, what do I have to give up to not miss critical components of my children's happiness? (hmmmmm maybe spending less time on long-drawn out blog posts would free up some time?)