Saturday
May122012

Homeopathic Relief for Children & Pets

This is a unusual post but I thought this one deserved mentioning. Two weeks ago my son came home from school complaining of his eye bothering him, it was very red and irritated. He would not stop itching it so I immediately thought he must have pink eye. I called the doctor and they said if it's the same in the morning then bring him in. He was leaving early the next day to go stay at his grandparent's house a few hours away...... so I needed to figure this out in a hurry. I decided to go buy some homeopathic eye drops I had seen at the local health food store (Optique 1 by Boiron). We had good results using Homeopathics when he was younger and teething, and also more recently to heal eczema, so I thought I'd give it a try. I figured if the drops don't help then it very well could be pink eye. For those of you who are not familiar with Homeopathy, here is a brief description:

**A brief introduction to homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a medical science developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician. It is based on the principle that  “like cures like”. In simple words, it means that any substance, which can produce symptoms in a healthy person, can cure similar symptoms in a person who is sick. This idea is referred to as the “Law of Similars“, and was understood by Aristotle and Hippocrates and mentioned in ancient Hindu manuscripts. It was Hahnemann, however, who turned it into a science of healing.

       Here is an example of this principle:

An onion is a substance which makes your eyes water and your nose burn. If you are having an attack of hay fever with watering eyes and a burning nose, a homeopathic remedy made from onion can relieve it.

I thought I would need to wait until the next morning to see if my son's eyes were better, but within 1 hour they were perfect and itch-free! Yay, no pink eye! We both were quite happy.

Strangely enough...today my cat who is 15 years old started squinting one eye, and it began oozing a watery discharge, (a few years back this cost me a bundle with a vet visit fee and antibiotic ointment) I just about picked up the phone to schedule a vet appointment, and then I remembered those homeopathic drops!!  I got online and searched to see if I could use then on my kitty. To my surprise I found a natural vet (Dr. Elliot) who commented on this very product, and suggested using it for cats and dogs. I figured I'd give it a try. Quickly his eye cleared up. He's now opening his eye normally and there is no more discharge. I'm so glad I avoided going to the vet and the pediatrician for that matter.

For those of you suffering with seasonal allergies and have red, dry, itchy, and burning eyes, you might want to give this a try. One really great thing about this product is that it does not contain vasoconstrictors or astringents, so there is no fear of a rebound effect or worsening of a condition. They can be used as often as needed without risk of overdose.

Please leave us a comment and let us if you have had any experiences using homeopathics in your home. Thank you!!

Sunday
Oct302011

Harvest Chicken Enchiladas

 

As the days cool off our family enjoys more hearty comfort foods. Here is one that is very nutritious, easy, and also one you can prepare ahead of time, or take to a friend and bake later.
  • Shredded chicken (I use one small whole baked chicken) 
  • 1 medium sized container of plain greek yogurt
  • 1 can diced green chiles
  • 1 can sliced black olives
  • 1/2 zucchini sliced and then cut again in half
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup diced spinach
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic diced
  • 1 package organic corn tortillas (only use organic when cooking corn products since most non organic corn is genetically modified)
  • Frontera enchilada sauce
*If you are not a fan of corn tortillas, spelt tortillas are a better choice than flour tortillas.
Mix shredded chicken with ingredients in mixing bowl use olive oil to grease oven safe casserole baking pan.
Scoop mixture into each tortilla and roll, lining them up side by side.
Cover with enchilada sauce, we enjoy Frontera brand made by Chef Rick Bayless (there is a green sauce that's supposed to be for shrimp tacos) but he makes a red enchilada sauce too)
VERY IMPORTANT- Cover with foil so they don't dry out. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. The measurements are approximate, really you can't mess these up, feel free to add, subtract items. 
Enjoy, and Happy Fall! 

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Coming soon- Look out for our giveaway contest next month!!!