Infant Thrush Natural Remedies - What's Safe and What's Not

If your baby has infant thrush or you have breastfeeding thrush, I know you want relief and you want relief fast. In this age of the internet there's so much great information available to moms who are seeking safe and natural remedies, but it can also be difficult to discern the good from the bad. After 15 years in the natural health industry, I've learned you really need to approach natural medicine, and even seemingly harmless home remedies, with a discerning eye - especially when it comes to baby and children.

In this article I'm not going to cover all of the risks of prescription drugs (anti-fungals) for infant thrush. But it's important to realize I definitely do not recommend using prescription anti-fungals as your first line of defense for thrush: they simply have too many dangerous side effects and are not effective at curing the root cause of the problem.

I'm a big fan of natural and alternative medicine and, generally speaking, it's far safer than western medicine. However, for natural and alternative remedies for thrush, I'd like to draw your attention to several natural remedies which are commonly recommended for infant and breastfeeding thrush which you need to steer clear of:

Gentian Violet: Gentian violet is so commonly recommended and from the feedback I've seen, is fairly effective at getting rid of oral thrush symptoms. HOWEVER, gentian violet is not really even natural - it's a petrol-derived product and its use is linked to increased long-term risk for oral cancer. Gentian violet can also cause mouth ulcers/sores when used excessively. In fact, the FDA has decided that gentian violet is not even safe to use as an additive in animal feed! I don't know about you, but I don't want to put something in my baby's mouth that's not even approved for animal feed!

Colloidal Silver: Colloidal silver is another popular fold remedy that I would stay away from, especially in the case of an infant or toddler. Colloidal silver is a metal, and can lead to a medical condition called agyria - a permanent darkening of the skin. Animal studies done on colloidal silver also raise significant concerns for me about its use in anyone, but especially babies and toddlers.

Tea tree oil/oregano oil: Tea tree and oregano oil are great products - but not for infant or breastfeeding thrush. Essential oils are very powerful medicine and must be used with caution. Tea tree oil is not recognized as safe for internal use and oregano oil is just way too harsh for a newborn's developing kidneys.

Nipple creams: These products look so appealing; after all, what breastfeeding mom with thrush would turn down a natural cream that's supposed to relieve your pain and discomfort? Unfortunately, the oily base of these creams is exactly what you don't want. This simply creates the right environment for the yeast to continue to grown.

Rebecca Haworth is a professional health writer with more than 15 years of experience in the alternative health industry. Her ebook, "The 3-Day Thrush Cure" is specifically designed to help breastfeeding mothers and babies suffering from thrush to overcome this problem quickly and naturally.

Natural Health - Natural Sleep Remedies

I'm a very lucky lady. I put my head on the pillow at night and I'm asleep immediately. I always wake up refreshed and revitalized. Not too many people can say that. As a matter of fact, many people I know have insomnia ~ difficulty with either falling asleep or staying asleep.

The "Sleep in America" Poll (2002) showed that 58% of adults in the U.S. experienced symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week.

Sleep is the ultimate rejuvenator and regenerator. Deep rest and sleep is one of the main states that allows the body to do its self-healing and to keep us looking younger. With good rest and sleep, the immune system stays intact and the youthful glow remains in the eyes and face. Insomnia can keep us from maximizing our abilities to do most anything.

There are so many possible factors that contribute to insomnia:

--Anxiety
--Stress
--Depression
--Hormonal changes (mostly in women)
--Decreased melatonin
--Pain
--Genetics
--Medications
--Foods (excitotoxins)
--Sleep apnea
--Disturbed noisy environment
--Medical conditions such as:
Allergies, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease

There are several natural remedies for sleep that include food, holistic practices, environment and essential oils:

-Tryptophan-rich healthy foods can aid in sleep.

Miso (fermented soy beans)
Beans
Whole grains, including rice
Lentils
Chickpeas
Hazelnuts
Peanuts
Eggs
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds

Good night time snacks:

--Glass of warm milk
--half a turkey or peanut butter sandwich
--Whole-grain, low-sugar cereal or granola with yogurt
--A banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea
--small serving of fresh or dried fruit
--small handful of raw nuts or seeds

Practices (as part of a daily/frequent routine):

--Exercise (from walking to aerobics)
--Yoga
--Acupuncture
--Energy Work (Reiki, Healing Touch, etc)

Essential Oil Application:

--Lavender bath (my favorite is YL St. Marie's Lavender)
--Vetiver on feet before bed (then put socks on!)
--Sandalwood - a dab on the forehead
--Roman Chamomile - dab on wrist, feet, inhale
--Valor (blend) - run in energy field, put on feet

Natural Health Remedies Safer For Pets and Their People

A large number of pets in America today are subjected to chemicals which can harm and actually kill. Those chemicals are found in the topical flea and tick medications pushed by veterinarians, sold in pet shops everywhere, and promoted on line.They're also found in flea soaps that can be found on grocery store shelves. If you read the fine print you'll see a warning - don't get this stuff on your own skin. Not even the soap suds.

Think about that. You put it on your pets and it travels to their skin to repel and kill fleas. When you pet those dogs and cats aren't you (and maybe your small children) getting it into your own systems? Even if these chemicals don't hurt your pets, they might hurt you!

Just like human, some pets handle chemicals well, while others suffer from severe reactions. The one time that my dogs picked up fleas our vet treated all three - and while two of them were fine, the Blue Heeler scratched until he bled for a full month.What a relief when that stuff finally worked its way out of his system.

But Pepper's problem was minor. Some dogs and cats have been reported to simply stop breathing or go into convulsions after application of products for flea and tick removal.

Because I'd never subject my dogs to this threat again, I started looking for natural alternatives, and did find some all natural products on the market. But I found even more. I found other concerned pet lovers willing to share their natural, home-made recipes for flea removal.

One such remedy is to use Diatomaceous Earth or Borax, worked down into carpets and on door sills to kill the fleas in the house. Let this sit for several hours and then vacuum up any powder that's loose.

One pet forum reader says the following spray for dogs doesn't just repel the insects - she finds them dead. (This one shouldn't be used on cats as they react differently to essential oils.)

Add 8 or 9 drops of each of the following essential oils to a 24-oz. spray bottle filled with water.

• Tea Tree
• Rosemary
• Sage (any kind)
• Cedarwood
• Peppermint
• Sweet Orange
• Eucalyptus
• Citronella
• Pine Needle.

Another reader shared her recipe: She boils the rind of

• 1 Orange
• 1 Grapefruit
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Lime
• and a handful of Rosemary

After boiling let it steep overnight, then strain into a sprayer bottle.

To prevent fleas on both cats and dogs, plant Pennyroyal and/or catnip in areas where they walk and lay. Just rubbing against this plant will give them a repellent coat. Be careful where you plant this, however. It grows and spreads like a weed. Both of these plants will help deter mosquitoes - so are helpful when planted aside your patio.

Before you use any chemical on your pets, for insect control or for de-worming - do take the time to research. And do make yourself familiar with the symptoms of allergic reaction, so you can take action fast in an emergency situation.

Infrared Sauna

Did you want to have your own sauna? Of course before this, you must go to spa to make your body look more beautiful right? All now is on your home. At eastcoastsaunas, you can design for your home making it more comfortable without need to out from your home. Most people do not consider sweating a good thing, but experts tell us that sweating does play a huge part in keeping the body healthy. Far infrared saunas are ideal when it comes to helping detoxify your body and staying healthy. When you sweat your body rids itself of waste material and unhealthy toxins, as well as helping to regulate your temperature.

Traditional steam saunas can cause people to have breathing difficulty with the extremely warm air. Where an infrared sauna will heat the body instead of the air. This results are a lower power bill as well as deep tissue penetration resulting in a better sauna experience.

Infrared sauna can aid in weight loss. This is because the body has to work harder to maintain temperature when exposed to a lot of heat, which means your body is burning more calories even though you're stationary. In fact, you can burn up to 600 calories in only 30 minutes when using an infrared sauna.

For example, THE MALIBU sauna is just $1,995.00. If you compared for every day you are going to sauna, you can save your money and get more profit from infrared sauna. While our skin is our largest organ, it can also be our biggest enemy when it comes to aging. Years of sun damage, along with an accumulation of dirt and toxins, can make us look old before our time. The deep heat of infrared saunas induces sweating, which is a natural way to cleanse the skin, and helps blood flow, which brings nutrients to the skin. In addition, far infrared saunas restore the elasticity of ligaments and tissues - including skin tissue - which helps to make us feel and look younger.

Not only will your power bill be lowered, but using an Infrared Sauna will allow for greater, more extensive tissue penetration. These saunas have been used to treat diseases and drug addiction, and have been found to increase flexibility and help bodies get rid of toxins. Cellular activities are instantly enhanced, which results in better circulation and, often times, an increase in metabolism.

So, what are you waiting more. Take it to your home now.