I received a well-minded newsletter from my local hospital and this headline caught my eye:

…“Consider sleeping arrangements. The risk of suffocation or strangulation increases for babies who sleep with adults.”

Well, this sentence has been shopped off, the complete result from the study is:

The risk of suffocation or strangulation increases for babies who sleep with adults who are under the influence of alcohol, drugs (prescription or illegal) or are considerably overweight.

SIDS (Sudden infant Death Syndrome) is more common by large on babies who were sleeping on a crib, it is even called crib syndrome among some circles!

It seems like because the association of pediatrics cannot say “Please don’t sleep with your baby if you are overweight or under the influence” they advertise the more generic version.

I slept with my baby until he was 3 ½ months old with no problems

Also he had no issue transferring to the crib at that age. (I am the one who misses him; he seems to prefer his privacy…)

Make whatever arrangement work for you and your family, but please get both sides of every story.

Co-sleeping (sleeping with the baby on the family bed) has several benefits for both baby and mom, specially the first few weeks. Look it up!

How to use affirmations for visualization.

Through visualization you can make what you want and need in life possible and attainable, it clears all our inner obstacles that account for most of the real challenges.

When relaxing and meditating it is very powerful to use affirmations for visualization since words are very powerful, but only when used correctly.

A good affirmation will be positive, hopeful and never forceful.

For example, let’s say you are trying to recover from a broken arm injury; you can relax and meditate imagining yourself on a beautiful place of your preference while slowly and faithfully using affirmations such as:

My body knows how to repair and heal itself.
My bones and muscles are strong and healthy.
All feeling leaves my arm, leaving it numbed, like floating in water.
I relax.

It is important that affirmations for visualization don’t include a reference to your worries or fears; otherwise those are the ones getting “affirmed”. There are no negatives such as:

“I don’t feel any pain” or
“I will not have any lingering problems”

It is normal to find those thoughts contaminating your mind, just acknowledge them and let them go. Go back to your affirmations.

…“In everyday thinking, there is often a background chatter of negative thoughts. Positive affirmation is therefore a simple method for achieving a more balanced state of mind.”… says Richard Latham, Producer and Script Writer for Meditainment.com

Using affirmations for visualization will make your time spent relaxing and meditating much more enjoyable and effective.

You can apply this principle to any aspects of your life, listen to samples for Natural Pain Relief, Study Energizer, Stop smoking and over 60 other meditation MP3 audio files available for download at Meditainment
or Go ahead and try the FREE Secret Garden Guided Meditation Sample

Modern medicine doesn’t yet fully understand the interactions betweens drugs and the different body functions.
This is why drugs will have side effects, some of them very difficult to identify, some more obvious.

See this msnbc article on Tylenol and Asthma in children:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26788879

There are natural remedies for fever and pain relief that are always 100% safe, no side effects and it is extremely difficult to overdose.

Keep Kid’s Wellness Fever/Pain formula handy as a great alternative to drug based medicine for fevers and pains

On Vaccines

You can improve the baby’s response and minimize fevers, crankiness and other hidden side effects by boosting his/her immune system 3 days before and after the vaccine.

Ask you pediatrician if you can give your baby the following:

It is easy, 3 days before, 3 days after, holistic pediatricians recommend:

• 50 mg vitamin C 3 times per day
• 1 dropper of baby Echinacea 3 times per day
• 1 serving of baby probiotics Baby-Dophilus once a day

Also,  when choosing vaccines, ask to separate the vaccines instead of giving the combinations.  By vacccinating against one selected disease at a time you might be inconvenienced by having to return to the doctor’s office 3 times instead of one, but the attack on your baby’s little body will be lessen. Besides should baby have any reactions, you and the doctor will know exactly which vaccine caused it.

Nutrition is a key for a healthy body and healthy mind as well as the cornerstone to decease prevention and healing.

Good Nutrition is needed in any stage of our lives, healthy or sick.

If you are suffering from heart disease or feel you might be at risk the good news is that there are not specific requirements for your diet. The bad news is ….there are not specific requirements for your diet… Basically work on improving your eating habits and make it a priority. Yes, the emphasis for nutrition requirements for a healthy heart is how fast you need to get there. Here you have 5 tips for inspiration:

1.  Work on ways to decrease that saturated fat intake. Think healthy and nutritious before convenient foods. Be creative, have you tried veggie patties? really really try them? Different brands taste different, after you add some organic ketchup and some “Veggionaise” that makes for a delicious hamburger. I have tricked the most stubborn meat lovers with this.
2. Hate veggies? Me too! When people think about vegetables they think of steamed vegetables on a plate. I love veggies but hate them that way. If you take a piece of chicken into boiling water without adding anything else, will that be tasty? Well, the same goes with vegetables, they need to be prepared to be attractive and tasty, look for recipes and try them out. I have not found a man that didn’t like my cheeseless broccoli soup (yes, no cheese on it, et me know if you’d like the recipe).
3.  Start to eat fruits and vegetables. Baby steps; I remember my first fruit resolution “Eat one apple a week” before I knew it I was doing my 5 servings a day without even realizing it. Cucumber slices (very thin) are easy to nibble on. Avocados, with a little bit of salt can be eating on slices or as a spread.
4. Want fries? Think baked potatoes, even with the butter on top it makes for an smarter choice. Want bread? be adventurous, just this time ask for whole wheat, or oat bran, white bread is boring and not heart friendly.
5. Juice it! Fruit and Veggie juices are a great way to complete those daily servings, Juicing is used even for cancer treatments and it should be used on health as well. Just remember not to go over 5-6 servings; fruits loose their fiber when juiced and they become too high in sugar.

Do I need to say it? Don’t smoke, period! If you feel this is a vice you can not break, think again, look for help, use gum, use patches, get a hobby, and just stop it. You owe it to yourself and the ones who care about you. Besides if you get in the path of good nutrition, stop smoking will not make gain weight.

All you have to do is to start making changes, here and there, one day at a time.
Live a little! They tell me when they see me eating healthy.  I rather live a lot and feel good while I am at it.

I was a fast food, meal skipper, always sick person. I was there, so I know it is difficult to change and rebuild yourself. But if you come over to the healthy gang, you will build a healthy happier you. It really rocks!

To your heart (and the rest of you body)