Body Ecology Month 2

The boys holding mason jars full of fermented vegetables.

Here is what I know for sure: food combining works. In short, for proper digestion combine:

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with animal protein

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with starchy veggies

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with grain-like seeds (millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat)

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with protein fat

In other words, steak (animal protein) and potatoes (starchy vegetable) do not mix. Think fish and rice, or a shrimp pasta - bad combination. The original Body Ecology book goes into great depth about this. There is plenty of other books about it too. How do I know this is true? My kids turned back into Gassy Fart Machines when they violated this rule. Raymond had chicken noodle soup when he was briefly sick (I think he and I successfully fought off the flu with energy work, sleep, and essential oils). All he did was fart. He did not with the vegetable soup. 

Thanksgiving was another one. We went to my friend Kristine's house. (I am sorry there are no pictures. I made a chocolate ganache pie and kale salad. I accidentally spilled almond milk on my cell phone, which hurts for more than one reason. It's acting up, as you can imagine. I have to get a new one. Taking photos or anything else is tricky). I let them eat what they wanted. Yikes...Return to Fartland. I have realized this about myself too, so I have been food combining as well. 

I also added homemade fermented vegetables to their program. I use cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger along with Body Ecology Culture Starter and Kefir Starter. Raymond actually gave me a compliment when he said, "These fermented vegetables are good. I like them." 

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? A compliment in the midst of  "I hate this diet! It's making me cranky!" I'll take it! I also added beef broth to Raymond's diet. He drinks it without a problem. What's also clear is sugar does not work for them, especially Raymond.

The biggest news I have is that Jona did something so nice for a girl at his school. His class was walking around the track, when a girl named Lindsey fell down. Jona ran up to her to comfort her. He asked her if she was hurt. Then he said, "It's okay. You are going to be fine. We are going to get you some help." Apparently the girl was appreciative. Jona's teacher gave him a sticker. It's the one in the photo above.

EMPATHY!!! Yes! My baby showed empathy for someone outside of his family. On to Month 3 for them.

Their mom has made changes for herself too. If I can photograph my food, that will be next.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology Month 2

Body Ecology Weeks 3 and 4

My update on the Body Ecology Diet for my boys, aka The Raymond BitchFest 2015:

Wow, that boy can complain. I didn't have to do this, but I did let him know it was coming. He knew on October 1st that his diet was changing. Last night, he was hot. He let me know in no uncertain terms he hated his new diet, when was it going to end, he was mad about it, he cried, etc, etc. We came to an understanding last night.

-this is my house
-you are my son
-this is my kitchen
-I buy the food with my money
-you do what I say
-this is my decision
-this is the plan
-and we are sticking to it
-do you understand?

He understands. LOL. (Don't you love saying stuff to your kids that your parents said to you?)

Jona, on the other hand, loves writing his grocery list. (Notice I said "his.") Instead of complaining, he writes down what he wants. Today's list is:
-bread
-lemonade
-blueberry bars (NutriGrain bars)
-honeynut cheerios
-goldfish crackers, cheddar or parmesan
-pretzels
-smores

I either say, "Jona, I'm not buying any of that," "You are not getting any of those things," or I ignore the list. He does eat everything I feed him without complaint. I am happy he is open to new foods. He used to be an all-bread kind of kid. He is still a very plain eater. He doesn't like fancy food. No salad dressing, no condiments, no almond milk in his cereal, nothing. I was worried about him more than Raymond. Raymond has been an adventurous eater since he was two-years-old. Now he is the one who is unhappy about the food.

What I have noticed is processed sugar is a HUGE trigger for Raymond. He and Jona had all of ONE piece of candy for Halloween. One. I hid the bags from them. And I'll be taking them to work tomorrow. All things being the same, when I picked him up on Sunday, I saw Raymond's OCD was stronger. So that one piece of candy will stay at one piece.

All in all the kids are the same. The only other change I have noticed is sleep. Raymond is sleeping through the night, but that may be for another reason. I started something else, but I want to give it a month (it's a total of a five month protocol) before I write about it.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology Weeks 3 and 4

Juicing for Autism study

Registration for Juicing for Autism study is now open at: https://juicingforautism.com/start. It is a free study. I signed up Jona and Raymond. Please visit the website for more information. Steve Prussack and Karen Ranzi are running the program. I interviewed Karen when I was Blog Editor at Raw Mom. She is a lovely woman. That is one of the reasons I decided to join.

Please share with others.

Love,
Althea ◦

Juicing for Autism study

Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

Raymond and Jona are two weeks into the Body Ecology Diet. They are doing the BEDROK version of the diet. BEDROK stands for Body Ecology Recovering Our Kids. The website is here:
http://www.bedrokcommunity.org/
Body Ecology website is here: www.bodyecology.com. The philosophy in a nutshell is heal the gut, heal a multitude of other issues, both physical and psychological.

Let me tell you all at the top: I saw improvement in Raymond within 48 hours. No lie. No exaggeration. Jona is still drinking apple juice and eating gluten free bread because he is more rigid than his brother. Raymond is no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, and is eating fermented vegetables as well.

The steps in BEDROK are:
1. Remove the offending foods: sugars, gluten, casein, grains and starches, processed foods, soy, refined vegetable oils.
2. Drink Young Coconut Kefir.
3. Eat cultured vegetables.
4. Eat raw cultured butter and other good fats.
5. Add homemade broth.
6. Follow the principles of food combining. A chart is below.

A better chart is here: http://bodyecology.com/foodcombiningchart
Article here: http://bodyecology.com/articles/food_combining_optimal_health_and_weight.php

My children, at the moment, are not vegetarian. I hope that doesn't offend any of my readers. Their plate looks very simple: fish or turkey or eggs, salad with homemade dressing, a steamed vegetable, and cultured vegetables (for Raymond). Raymond is also only drinking water. Jona has apple juice with his lunch. For the rest of the day he only drinks water.

What changed in both boys is that they lost weight. I don't know how much, but it's obvious that they have. Raymond said to me today, "I'm losing weight." I asked how could he tell. He said, "My belly is shrinking."

The other three things are Raymond's OCD symptoms alleviated. His major symptom is touching objects. If he was at 100 before the diet, on a scale from 0 to 100, then he is at a 40 now. The difference was obvious to his father and his teachers as well. The other thing was farting. He farted all of the time. I mean ALL THE TIME. I have heard my child fart all of twice in two weeks. He went from 100 to 2 on a 0 to 100 scale. And his constipation is easing. He told me on Friday, "I pooped twice today." For him, that is an achievement. The only change I see in Jona is that he is pooping more often as well.

Yesterday, I had a medical intuitive reading about my children and me with Gina Laverde.
(http://blissedlife.com/intuitive-healing-consults/) I am a professional intuitive myself, and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. It's hard to do a reading on my children because they are my strongest emotional connection. The hallmark of a good reading is objectivity, neutrality, and detachment. It's hard to be any of those things with my boys. So I went to someone else. She is worth every penny. It's too much information to go into here. In short, her food recommendations were simple for the boys:

"Homemade broth, slow cooking, high mineral, high nutrition food that has a grounding nature (lots of root vegetables), plus the Body Ecology steps already being taken. Liver support for Jona with beets (which I am going to put in his smoothies)."

Jona is easing his way into the diet. Once I get them both solidly there, they will be on it strictly through the winter, at least. The goal is to heal their digestive system so they can slowly add other foods successfully.

And I am on Day 18 on my own gluten/dairy/sugar free lifestyle. Even though I still have the sniffles, I am back at the gym tomorrow.

Healing is holistic. It's not just food. As we heal with other modalities, I will share them here.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

Chocolate Cream Pie

I'm still alive :-).

More on us in a second. I have been making raw food again. I want to share this Chocolate Cream Pie from The Rawtarian. I love her site because the ingredients are simple. I keep looking for complicated recipes and their are none. I am a fan.

This photo is what was left of the pie. It went fast. I do recommend it and I'd make it again. It reminded me of a Fudgsicle. The recipe is here: http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-chocolate-cream-pie-recipe.

Since my last post, I went to see my cousin Christian graduate from Hampton University with a Master's Degree in Architecture.

The boys finished their first year in school. Both did great. Raymond ended the year with a 3.1 GPA. Jona's grades jumped by the end of the year to a 3.0 GPA. They are in camp now and loving it.

I got attuned to Reiki Level 2 on Saturday. It's been eight years since I took the first class. This was an amazing experience. I am happy and grateful.

Love,
Althea ◦

Chocolate Cream Pie

My Babies!

I've imported all posts from "Healing My Sons" to this one. So many people ask me about my kids and how they are doing. It makes more sense to talk about them here. If you go to the "Autism" label on the right side of the blog, posts about them will show up. This is them on November 27 at the National Aquarium.

And speaking of them, Raymond had another seizure on Saturday morning. This was his first one since February 2011. We're going back to Johns Hopkins for a re-evaluation. I'll let you all know what happens.

We've been juicing from Drew Canole's fitlife.tv. I think he's redesigned the site because I can't find the recipes anymore. Here are the ones I have made:

Morning Call: 4 kale leaves, 1/2 broccoli with stems, 1/2 head of cabbage. (I add 1 whole peeled lemon. Makes it go down a whole lot easier.)

Waldorf Salad: 2 celery ribs, 2 green apples

Full Immunity: 2 cloves garlic, thumb size ginger, handful parsley, 3 carrots, 1 apple (surprisingly tasty) 

And this is what I've been eating lately. Harmony Spinach Salad, and a salad with Roasted Tofu.

This one is cauliflower sushi, spinach, and and a salad with Body Ecology Diet Dressing (3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt). 

I am also thinking of moving this entire operation to Wordpress. I want to intergrate mochaangels.com with a blog, making it an all-in-one site. If anyone has any experience with this, please share it with me.

Love,

Althea

◦

My Babies!

What I Learned This Summer

1) Put the oxygen mask on myself first.
2) I am a professional too.
3) Be fearless.

1. Put the oxygen mask on myself first.

When a child has any kind of medical issue, be it a cold, cancer, or Autism, the parent goes into overdrive. The problem is that even a car cannot remain in overdrive forever. Neither can a person. I have been in overdrive waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. All the caretaking and worrying I've done for the past 8 years has taken a toll on me mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

I had bigger plans for my kids this summer. But my intuition was screaming, "Put the oxygen mask on yourself first." The analogy is, of course, when on an airplane, flight attendants always tell parents that in case of emergency, put the mask on themselves first and their child second. That seems counter intuitive to a parent. But the bottom line is, if you put the mask on your child first, you're giving her a chance to live, but you might not.

And that's how I've been feeling.

I listened to my inner wisdom and prayed about the best way to begin taking care of me. The answer came in the form of my friend Shay, who is a personal trainer. She told me about ChiRunning and ChiWalking. I started both and I can feel the difference. I have energy and mental clarity. Both are required for high-quality parenting :-).

And this weekend, I'm getting my Strength & Conditioning certification from the YMCA. Then I'll work on my ACE personal training certification!

So mamas, figure out a way to take care of you. Your children will thank you.

2. I am a professional too.

This doesn't apply to all moms, but I trained in Healing Touch, Reiki, yoga, children's yoga, pre-natal yoga even before my children were born. The intuition, vegan, and raw food part came later, but the bottom line is I've been in the holistic business for 11 years. People see me as someone who knows what she's talking about in those arenas.

But when I saw something not quite right with my children, fear and doubt kicked in, and stayed with me for years. I realize now that I abdicated my power to other authority figures. I don't regret the myriad of doctors, specialists, teachers, and the countless medical, academic, and speech tests. I've learned a great deal, and a team of professionals is necessary to help my children. (A holistic approach is needed, and I appreciate that.)

However, I'm a pro too. I tell my students in my intuition class, the key to a good reading is detachment, objectivity, and neutrality. It's difficult for a mom to be detached, objective, and neutral about her children. But it is possible to step back from them and not be so emotional about their issues. Thanks to #1 "putting the oxygen mask on myself," I realized that my children can benefit from my professional skills.

3) Be fearless.

My children have taught me to look at my deepest beliefs. I've been forced to ask myself, "Do I really think __________________ is true, or at least true for me?"

Here is what I know for sure: Disease starts in the energy field which is interdependent with the human body. Healing (not curing) is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional thing. We are mind, body, and spirit beings. Everything that has entered our consciousness from the moment of conception affects who we are now, and who we become. Everyone on Earth are inter-connected, and truly are One with each other.

I now choose to live from my core belief that the Universe is friendly to me (and everyone) and does respond to our deepest desires. When I feel myself at Raymond and Jona's college graduations, I am not "hoping" or "wishing." I am consciously, on purpose and with purpose, opening the energetic doors that will create that reality in their lives.

Being fearless rocks. ◦

What I Learned This Summer

Update

Hi Everyone :-)

I'm leaving my job as Blog Editor at Raw Mom. My last day is July 1st. I liked the job and learned what it takes to run a multi-website platform. My job was focused on Monday-Wednesday-Friday blogging and managing other writers. To say the job was "intense" is like saying the sun is "hot".....in other words, a massive understatement.

My intention for this year is that I'm focused on healing myself and my family. With that, I have two pieces of good news:

Jona and Raymond see their Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrician every 6 months. They saw him yesterday. He ended our visit by saying, "This is wonderful! Your children are progressing well, and Jona is now close to where he should be cognitively for a six-year-old."

YES!!! Whoo hooo!

And he told me that I sigh too much. I had no idea that I did that. I get it from my mother. I've been lying over a rolled blanket to help expand my lung capacity.

The second thing happened today. Me, Raymond, and Jona go to the chiropractor once per week. While Raymond was being treated (I was with Raymond, but I could hear Jona), Jona goes into the secretaries' office and asks, "Have you seen my mommy? She's my best friend."

Oh, my heart melted. There was a time I worried he would never speak again. I used to think, "Is he ever going to say 'mommy?" Is he ever going to say, "I love you?"

He does both now.

Love,
Althea ◦

Update

Adventures in Autism and Bowel Movements

Dr. Angela Santenello and Jona

Jona went to Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism Research and Development on September 23rd. He got their testing, "the gold standard" as everyone tells me. His behavior and speech was consistent with Autism. I've got three official opinions now. I think I'm done testing him. :-) I decided to reschedule Raymond's test with them. He'll be going in November.

Update on Jona's behavior: He has been doing really well in this department. He understands and respects the word, "No." There have been no public temper tantrums. He can be rigid. He wanted me to bring him his "The Rock" toy. When I wouldn't do it, he stayed upstairs for an hour waiting for me to cave. That's okay. He is learning to get his own toys, his own water out of the fridge, and not expecting us to do everything for him. Yea!

Jona and Raymond

So Rom says I'm obsessed with Raymond's bowel movements. I am not! I think he has leaky gut. I've been reading a host of articles about it. Because he's been constipated for so many years, I am very focused on this.

Here are some of the best articles I found:

http://www.devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/141-leaky-gut.html


http://www.caringmedical.com/condition_details/Leaky_Gut_Syndrome.htm


http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/Leaky_Gut.htm


http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet
http://mothers-reversing-autism.com/Leaky-Gut.html

Since my last post about Raymond's constipation, here's how he's been having his BMs since September 17:
1 day BM (September 17)
2 days no BM
9 days BM
1 day no BM
1 day BM
2 days no BM
6 days BM *
1 day no BM
1 day BM (Oct 10)

* On October 3rd, I twisted his meridian large intestine alarm points b/c it had been two days. He went that day. On October 4th, he had three bowel movements. Raymond has never in his eight years had 3 BMs in one day. I had added coconut oil to his green smoothies. Coconut oil has essential fatty acids, and I had some in the house, so I added a tablespoon to his smoothies. That, combined with the meridian work, must have done the trick.

We have also been doing the brain balance program, and energy work. The two things I have noticed is that Raymond's reading is a bit better, and he is physically stronger. The healing work continues!

Love,
Althea ◦

Adventures in Autism and Bowel Movements

The Healing Plan

Raymond's certificate of completion of Art Camp at The Creative Alliance

Raymond had an appointment at Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism Research (CARD) on Wednesday. Twenty-five hours prior, I cancelled it.

Raymond had gotten yet another report from the Neuropsychology Department of Kennedy Krieger. Dr. Brenda Fawcett, an awesome lady BTW, spent 6 hours with Raymond and wrote a 15-page report about my son. She also spoke with me at length. Her diagnosis was Autism and ADHD.

After getting Jona's speech evaluated at Kennedy Krieger (yes, we've spent a lot of time there!), I made a decision. It's time to get started on my children's healing. I have all the reports I need.

I read a book called Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo. I like that Melillo takes the holistic approach. No drugs. No surgery. Nothing invasive. He focuses on strengthening brain hemispheric weaknesses, nutritional healing, behavioral discipline, and academic training....all at the same time. I am going to use his approach with Raymond.

With Jona, I'm taking the nutritional and energy healing approach. There's lots of physical exercises in Disconnected Kids. Getting Jona to do them would be a challenge, so I'm taking a back-door approach with him. He does like yoga, so we'll be doing that instead.

Jona wanting more cake at Raymond's Art Camp celebration

As a side note, I've noticed that people have VERY strong opinions when it comes to Autism. It reminds me of the hysteria and ignorance around AIDS and HIV in the 1980s. You'd think we were talking politics or religion. The heat and emotion around Autism astounds me sometimes. Because I'm taking the gentle, holistic approach to healing my boys, I ask my readers for love and support. I'm not one to tolerate nastiness. I'm staying positive, and I want that positivity from my readers too!

Love,
Althea ◦

The Healing Plan

Diagnosis: Autism and Receptive/Expressive Delay

My children finally have an offical diagnosis after 9 months of psychologists, neuropsychology testing, M.D.'s, Developmental M.D.s, Individualized Educational Plans, and more.

Jona's diagnosis is mild to moderate Autism.
Raymond's diagnosis is Nervous System Disorder-not specifed and Expressive/ Receptive Delay.

I started this blog in order to chronicle their progress. I know I'm not going to be able to remember everything about their childhood. I want this blog, their blog to be here for me to look back on everything, and possibly help other parents along the way :-)

This is my brother John, Raymond, my husband Rom, and Jona. John was nice enough to travel to Maryland from Atlanta to watch the boys while we went to see their Developmental Pediatrician.
There's lots more to come!
 
love,
Althea ◦

Diagnosis: Autism and Receptive/Expressive Delay