My Son’s Journey with Down Syndrome: How Nutrition Improved His Health

I live in paradise. Yes, the kind on the postcards: palm trees, coconuts, sunshine, blue sky, all that. Costa Rica has been my home for 12 years. I came in search of paradise, and in the end I got it. The funny thing is that it didn’t look anything like the postcard I’d imagined.

In 2005, my second child was born with Down Syndrome. Addison’s journey into this world would become a trip into healing – not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally, for him and our entire family.

During my pregnancy, Addison was diagnosed with a defective digestive tract. Without immediate surgery, he would most likely die. I knew food and exercise would be a huge part of his recovery. To believe in this principle was one thing; to implement it was quite another.

After discovering the benefits of breast feeding with my first child, I pumped every few hours for Addison, even freezing the colostrum. Drop by drop, he received the milk from a tube until he was able to eat on his own. While still in intensive care, an ultrasound exposed two cysts on his bile ducts. Left untreated, the cysts would turn cancerous—which meant surgery. That was the second time in less than a year someone had told me my son might die.

Three years earlier, alternative food and natural therapies helped heal a rampant case of tooth decay, which appeared all over my daughter’s baby teeth. Every dentist we went to prescribed major surgery, loads of fillings, and capping all her front teeth with no guarantee any of them would stay in. Terrified and desperate for an alternative, we began going to my acupuncturist. In one of the sessions, he handed me a small piece of paper with a list of alkaline and acidic food. It was the first time I’d heard of the concept, but it instinctively made sense. I bought my first juicer. To my relief, my daughter began drinking apple, celery, and cucumber juice from her special princess cup every day. I began soaking almonds, ditched white sugar, and snuck seaweed into her wheat-free pancakes. Although a few more teeth chipped, others actually calcified and seemed to grow stronger.

My son’s cysts mirrored my daughter’s tooth decay. A naturopath physician confirmed that if we balanced my son’s chemistry, the cysts could not survive. Since Addison was only breast feeding, all of his nutrition came from me. I began doubling the green juice I drank and modified my diet.

At nine months, I took Addison to an ultrasound to see if the cysts had grown or, at least, stabilized. I held him close as the cold goo was lathered on his stomach. The doctor was silent as she wiggled the wand around. “They’re not there,” she said.

“What did you say?” I asked, as my Spanish was often shaky in medical situations.

“I can’t find the cysts,” she said. “They’re gone.” A victory indeed, but with Down Syndrome, there’s always another challenge ahead.

Books never glossed over what my son’s limitations might be: speech deficiencies, heart problems, digestive difficulties, fine and gross motor skill delays, crooked teeth, physical abnormalities, and lagging in emotional and cognitive development, to name a few. Although Addison had a high level of cognitive development, his walking and gross motor skills were very slow to develop. He struggled with a lot of mucus, and smaller nose and ear tubes made it even harder to breath. At three years old, he contracted a case of bronchitis which eventually became pneumonia. Over the course of a year, Addison was hospitalized with bronchial pneumonia three times. Yet between each stay, I knew he was getting stronger.

A few exercise and therapy machines scattered around the house became an all-out gymnasium in the living room. We made respiratory therapy a family activity. Addison chased my daughter around the living room in a game of tag, we danced to ABBA, twisted into yoga positions, and played silly games for hours on mattresses. A good cry was counted as therapy, every phlegm ball extracted a victory, every step a prize, and every deep laugh a sound from heaven.

Deciding what’s best for me is one thing because I feel the effects when I make questionable food choices or slack off in exercising. Ever try getting raw parsley, Swiss chard, or kale into a child? Or administer a Neti Pot to a screaming toddler? Yet over many trials, spit ups, tummy aches, bites, and food matter thrown at me, Addison finally settled into a healthy diet that he seemed to enjoy. He eats sprouts of all sorts, avocados, celery, parsley, and other greens for breakfast. He drinks a green juice for lunch and dinner, has a 95 percent raw diet, never eats wheat, satiates his thirst with green coconut water, and rarely eats sugar. A tremendous benefit of living in Costa Rica, along with the year-round Vitamin D-packed sunshine, is that many of the healthiest foods on his menu are really inexpensive. And, thankfully, my daughter, who began snubbing her nose at the green juice, is giving it a try again.

After almost five years, Addison is finally sleeping on his own without struggle. Though he was sent home with a supplemental oxygen machine, which he used frequently for the first six months, it is now tucked in a corner for occasional use. He walks strong, climbs up and down steps, and has started to run. Paradise finally came in a way I never expected. But from where I stand, it’s picture perfect.

Susan Lutz is a writer and film maker living in Costa Rica with her two children. MotherJungle.com chronicles her adventures and daily search for paradise. She recently completed her first documentary film, “The Coffee Dance,” and is the author of a video media arts book, “The Paradox of Paradise: A Woman’s Journey to a Place called Heaven on Earth.” She is also co-editor of the Organic Living section at All Things Healing, an online wellness hub.

Hydration 101 – The Foundation for any Cleansing Program

Michael Perrine, Detox Consultant and Colon Heath Therapist

Most of us are no longer drinking from glacial runoff or natural springs unless it’s been pasteurized, bottled and shipped to us. So, water has become a topic of great discussion especially now with technology, ecological concerns and industrial pollution all growing rapidly.

The bottom line is this: A CLEAN AND HEALTHY BODY IS A HYDRATED BODY.

Before I get into details I want to get across the most important aspect of getting hydrated: Just get hydrated! There are all sorts of issues with water from the process to the packaging to the source, but one thing for certain, daily detoxification and assimilation comes to a halt with dehydration.
Water is a solvent of and diluter of metabolic waste and foreign poisons. It is also a carrier that transports toxins out (urine, feces, sweat) and allows the exchange of valuable elements in the body. The absence of sufficient water causes systemic stagnation. The concentration and building up of poisons in the body due to dehydration is one of the leading contributions to illness.

OK, so what kind?

Bottled Water

Almost always acidic and sometimes from questionable sources, bottled water may be a better choice that certain municipal water sources depending on where you live. However, it is known that plastic does leach into the water. For this reason, the clear bottles are a better choice than the cloudy plastic bottles. Just a basic examination of water from cloudy plastic bottles indicates the presence of plastic. The scent and taste are undeniable. Various forms of plastic are known carcinogens (cancer causing) and known to cause disruptions in the endocrine system.

Some general rules around bottled water are:

• Buy clear plastic over cloudy plastic bottles.
• According to The National Geographic Green Guide, the better choices in bottling plastic are:

#1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
#2 High Density Polyethylene
#4 Low Density Polyethylene
#5 Polypropylene

• Those to definitely avoid are those with these numbers on the bottom of the bottles:

#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
#6 Polystyrene (PS)
#7 Polycarbonate

• Use it once and don’t refill it.
• Keep bottles away from heat (out of cars in the summer months) as this accelerates the release of plastic.
• The levels of plastic found in water increase over storage time. Try to buy ‘newly’ bottled water.
• Please Recycle.

Bottling water in plastic is also extremely energy inefficient and contributes greatly to oil consumption and landfill waste. The Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, N.Y. has voted to take bottled water off the shelves for this reason.
For an excellent documentary on Plastics see: http://www.vbs.tv/watch/toxic/garbage-island-1-of-3

Water Filtration

Water filtration (and there are a lot of different methods – reverse osmosis, distillation, etc.) allows us to enjoy clean water and to stay clear of plastics and the environmental impact of that model.

Distillation is the steam evaporation of water, leaving behind solids and contaminants as well as sterilizing the water. Many distillers pass the distilled water through a stone filter to remove gasses. Although clean, distilled water is usually acidic and is considered controversial due to it’s potential to bond with minerals in our bodies and carry them out. Distilled water can be recharged by adding a tiny pinch of celtic sea salt or a few blades of wheatgrass and allowing it to sit in direct sunlight in a glass bottle.

Kangen Water

Kangen is a Japanese word that means, “to return to the origin.” Starting with clean water (filtered or from an already clean source like mountain springs) and ionizing the water is the best way to transform water into a highly effective cleanser and alkalizer.

A kangen water ionizer runs a stream of water across magnetically charged plates separating acidity and alkalinity. This is called ionization. Most machines will allow you to produce both kinds of water. Alkaline water is used for consumption while acidic water is used for cleansing the surface of the body. Alkaline, negatively ionized water contains high levels of antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and has the power to emulsify and dissolve toxins from our body tissue. The body will protect itself from acidic wastes and balance it’s pH by converting them into solid materials that are stored in the arteries and in fatty tissue. Many report weight loss from the consistent consumption of ionized water due to its ability to neutralize and dissolve acids. This water is a foundational element in Dr. Hiromi Shinya’s eating program. For more on Dr. Shinya’s work see: Video on Dr. Shinya

And how much?

When determining how much water to drink we need to consider exercise level, climate and the quality of our diet. An athlete in a tropical climate will probably require more water than someone less active in a cool climate. We also need to understand that certain foods and beverages will pull water from the body requiring a greater demand for water. Most other beverages (tea, coffee, soda, juice, etc.) do not take the place of water. Some beverages will dehydrate the body while others will simply deliver their nutrients, sugars or chemicals and quickly exit without hydrating.

What to Avoid?

These have the potential to dehydrate:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Soda
• Carbonated beverages
• Alcoholic beverages

For those of us that like structure, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, author of “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water“ recommends:

“You should drink half of your body weight in ounces. If you weight 200 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces water (3.13 quarts, 2.98 liters or about 10-12 cups of water a day).” He also notes “It is very important you balance your sodium intake with your water consumption. Take 1/4 teaspoon of salt per quart of water – every 4-5 glasses of water. Be sure to get sea salt. The best is Celtic sea salt or Himalayan sea salt.”

It’s fascinating how complicated the simple and essential things in life are becoming. Let’s all show up fully to these changes and do our best to honor our bodies and respect the source.

Mike Perrine is a detoxification consultant, certified colon hydro therapist and the co-owner of Gravity East Village, a cleansing and detoxification consulting office in New York City.

Stand in your power

Wellness Warriors,

On Monday May 11th, hundreds of you will be participating in our online Adventure Cleanse Tune-up (ACT). First and foremost, I am so PROUD of you. You are brave, responsible, brilliant unicorns full of healing potential. Yeehaw!

Many of you have already started to upgrade your cabinets, fridge, pantry and the secret vodka stash in the laundry room. GREAT! Toss what no longer serves you. This is your weekend to move from the darkness into the light. Farewell artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, trans fatty acids (if New York City restaurants banned this stuff, so can you), saturated animal fat, unpronounceable chemicals, whey, casein, gluten, fructose, corn syrup, and hydrogenated non-foods. These are poisons not meant for your regal being.

Remember you are a god/dess. Poo on a plate won’t do! If you don’t believe in your beauty then shut your (former) pie hole and let me do the talking. YOU ARE STUNNING! This world will suffer if you’re not at your best, brightest and most fulfilled. I will suffer if you don’t shine. When you build a daily practice of honoring yourself, thoughts rearrange. The negative hot air loses power as the truth posies push through. Got it sparkle puss?

As a result of your efforts you’re gonna twinkle from the inside out. No one can package that in a fancy French bottle! Remember, it’s not about weight, disease reversal, fixing the blues (or your marriage). Start small. Love yourself at the cellular level.

This tune-up works because it focuses on rebuilding your terrain by increasing your alkalinity. That’s all you need to remember. By consuming more alkaline foods and less acidic foods you’ll feel better, look better, and have tons more energy. If you need a little pH refresher course, please read my recent post.

Only you can ignite the glow! Commit and try to be as consistent possible. But if you flub a day it’s OK. Don’t beat yourself up or succumb to a mega-binge. “Hey, I blew it anyway so why not get high on my favorite drug – food”. That’s dirty self-sabotage speak. This “tune-up” is NOT under the supervision of your ego. ACT and be guided by your higher self. He/she loves you dearly and believes that all your dreams are within reach.

So if you stumble just be kind and remember your divinity. Pay close attention to why and what hit your trigger. Pull out your Food & Lifestyle Journal and scribble the issues OUT of your tissues. Take a walk, bark into a pillow, call a buddy, soak in the tub, rent a funny movie, do what you need to do to break the habit and then slide back into your bikini (even if it’s currently too tight) and dive in again.

Some folks may try and discourage you from changing. They prefer you fat, sick, mad and exhausted. “Oh, that’s dangerous, I wouldn’t do that if I were you! Where will you get your protein? You’ll wither and die” Huh? Since when is a plant-based diet full of salads, veggies, steamed greens, juice, nuts, seeds, beans, sprouts, gluten-free grains and breads, yummy almond butter, pates, soups, smoothies, baked root vegetables, exercise, journaling, telling someone you love them, rolling in the grass while giggling – dangerous? Stand in your power and break from the human herd. Folks like that don’t want to you to look at yourself nude (emotionally & physically) because it puts pressure on them to do the same. Screw that, skinny dip!

I love each and every one of you. Good luck and remember to join the forum. I’ll be posting daily in the Life Lounge section under Adventure Cleanse Tune-up. For a detailed discussion on the different cleanse levels, check the forum.

Peace and power,
Kris

A little pH refresher course

Hello Jalapeno!

I’ve written about pH many times but since proper pH (acid/alkaline balance) is the key to how I maintain a healthy life AND the foundation of our upcoming Adventure Cleanse Tune-up (aka ACT), I thought I’d revisit the topic once more.

Remember high school science class? Well, if you don’t, here’s a little refresher course. The body maintains a delicate pH balance.  Technically, pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration in solution.  Wha? Don’t worry I won’t get too technical.  For now all you really need to know is that the pH scale runs from 0-14.  Neutral pH is 7.0.  The higher the pH (greater than 7) the more alkaline, while a pH lower than 7 is acidic.

Proper pH varies throughout your body.  Saliva ranges between 6.8-7.4 while your urine is normally more acid, especially in the morning due to the metabolic process of preparing for elimination.  Health hint: when using pH strips to test your urine ignore the first morning pee reading – start with your next bathroom visit.  By far the most important measurement is blood pH and it has a very narrow range.  An understanding of how to keep your blood in an alkaline range is important for maintaining good health.  Your body doesn’t just “find” the balance it works extremely hard to create it. When you make poor lifestyle choices or are burdened by a toxic environment, your body has to work harder to create a peaceful homeostasis.

For good health our bodies need to be slightly alkaline (with a pH of between 7.365 and 7.45).  Sounds simple right?  But this is not mathematical scaled based on arithmetic, pH operates on a logarithmic scale with multiples of 10.  Therefore, it takes ten times the amount of alkalinity to neutralize an acid.  I wish I was a graph wizz, I’m not, so here’s my very basic attempt at explaining this…

0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14 (The pH Scale – neutral (7) is in red)

A jump from 7 to 6 doesn’t seem like a lot but in actuality it will take ten times the amount of alkalinity to neutralize.  7 to 5 = 100 times.  7 to 4 = 1000 times.  7 to 3 = 10,000 times. Get the picture?

Now think of the SAD diet.  Most folks are bathing their cells in an acid bath by making poor 3 or more times per day!

Breakfast: Coffee (with milk & splenda), juice, eggs, bacon, toast with I can’t believe it’s not butter (then what the heck is it?)
11am Crash: More coffee and a donut
Lunch: Hamburger, white bun, fries, cola
4 PM crash: Coffee or cola, candy bar
Dinner: Chicken, macaroni & cheese BOILED broccoli and ice tea
Dessert: Little Debbie Snack Cake, frozen yogurt (aka frozen chemicals and puss that create a mucus fandango!), etc

A menu like this keeps the body in panic mode all day every day .  Remember those “Where’s the Beef?” ads?  Well how about “Where’s the fiber, the water?”  One of the biggest causalities of the SAD—standard American diet—is the toll it takes on the body, especially the digestive system, liver, and kidneys. Inflammation, allergies, arthritis, skin problems, mood disorders, depression, constipation, bowel issues, stress (physical & mental) and chronic disease LOVE this diet.

How about enzymes?  When we feed our bodies nutrient-deficient foods, we exhaust our enzymatic reserves and mine minerals (like calcium, magnesium, potassium) from our bones, teeth, and organs. Hello Osteo!  We create free radicals that damage our cells and rob electrons from healthy tissue. As a result, our system weakens and basic functions begin to break down. In a nutshell, this is the premature aging process.  How can we press stop, rewind, and restart? Pull a garbage can up to your fridge and cupboards and treat yourself to a lifestyle makeover!

By eating a more alkaline diet (leafy greens, wheatgrass, veggies, sprouts, avocados, juicing, green smoothies, soups) as opposed to an acidic diet (high in animal products, processed carbs, refined sugar, and booze, cigs and coffee), we flood our bodies with chlorophyll, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and oxygen. Healthy food creates healthy cells and healthy thoughts. Conversely, junk goes in and junk comes out.

Look at your plate, peek in your glass. What direction are you moving in? On the pH scale, Soda = 2. Coffee = 4. Cucumber = 7. Get the picture? Burger, fries, diet cola, muffin, candy bar? Acid bath! Green drinks, salads, sprouts, wheatgrass? Alkaline super disco! Your goal is to make energy deposits instead of constant withdrawals.

Peace and pH!

Kris

Welcome Springtime!

*CSL received so many recipes in response to our contest that we will be announcing the winner in Wednesday’s Goddess Group blog! Take it away, Mama Glow Guru…

I woke up this morning with a gentle dewy breeze slipping through my window, tickling my face. Slowly I opened my eyes and noticed right away that there was a new and distinctive quality of light in the sky. I rose up to start the day- starting with my prayers of gratitude. Then gathered myself to go hike and run through Central park nearby. The warmth of the morning sun and the cool breeze had Spring written all over it. I’m solar powered, so the sensation of evanescent warmth ignited in me a vigor to be active and explore the outdoors.

I have a background in plant sciences and botanical studies, so I always take note of the plants, what they are doing, how they are growing, as I am well aware that Mother Nature speaks to us through her intricate plant world. Sometimes I stop and pick what I consider to be powerful plant medicine-dandelion, red clover, plantain leaf, lamb’s quarters, mullein; all growing in a most peculiar way. It amazes me that a tiny seed would see fit to germinate, take root, and sprout up through the cracks of asphalt- that’s what I call an Uprising! Such determination inspires me to do the work that I do with Tender Shoots Wellness. Sprouting seeds and budding new life giving hope and possibility beyond what we can imagine.

Look around- these powerful weeds are nestled in with other vegetation, so you may not even notice them at first glance. I’m starting to see a lot of dandelion and red clover bunches which indicates that it is time to collect these plants and do our own spring cleaning- internally. Dandelion is a strong bitter herb that has an astringent and cleansing action on the liver and kidneys. It helps to break down fats stored in the liver and gallbladder and promotes healthy colon function. Its a great plant to introduce especially as we transition from eating hearty winter foods to light spring inspired meals. The young leaves are a great addition to salads, and sandwiches.

Red clover has a cleansing quality as well. It is a wonder herb, used in treatment of cancer, joint disorders, skin inflammations, mastitis, it acts as a blood purifier, cleanses the liver, a diuretic- helping to remove excess fluid from the body, and helps clear the lungs of mucous, it improves overall circulation in the body.

Take a moment to check out some tasty ways to incorporate these spring cleaning greens into your diet. Enjoy.

Sauteed Dandelion Greens with Garlic
2lbs dandelion greens, thoroughly washed
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, bruised and smashed open
crushed red pepper to taste
sea salt to taste

Boil the greens in salted water for up to 2 minutes. Shock in a bowl of ice water to stop the greens from cooking, and to retain the green color. Drain and lightly squeeze out water. Heat the oil in a skillet then add the garlic, cooking over low heat, as the garlic begins to brown add in the greens, stirring, to mix in the garlic flavor, cover and allow to cook, increasing the heat for 3 minutes. Season with sea salt and crushed red pepper. Please buy organically grown dandelion because since most folks consider them a pesty weed, they are usually heavily sprayed.

You can also add Dandelion greens to a mixed green salad, to pack in some extra protein, add some raw pumpkin seeds, or walnuts, or hemp seeds. Sprinkle some dulse flakes, add some avo slices, and add your favorite salad dressing and you’re in business.

To have a gentle cleansing herbal tea, try the red clover tea below.

Red Clover Herbal Tea
1 cup red clover blossoms (fresh or 1/2 cup dried)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
4 cups filtered water
agave nectar to taste

Bring water to boil, add clover blossoms and mint. Allow to steep up to 10 minutes, strain off the liquid and sweeten if desired. You can find organic red clover blossoms at herbal shops and farmer’s markets, and online. If you take the time to wander through some blossoming fields outside of the city limits you can harvest bundles of this herb yourself.

Welcome Springtime!

Guidance,
Latham