Defeating Head lice - a natural, proactive approach

School's back in session, and though it's a distasteful subject, Head Lice is a topic that we should cover.  Believe it or not, head lice is actually a subject I'm quite passionate about - because typical lice shampoos and medications are toxic, and have become less and less effective due to head lice building an immunity to the chemicals that are used to treat them.  My take?  Why even use the toxic, medicated lice shampoos if they may or may not work? 

If you're like me, preventative actions make me feel more in control, and gives me peace of mind.  Unlike head lice shampoos and medications which should only be used on infected people, Coconut oil can be used preventatively, as well as to treat head lice, as often as you'd like/need, without any harmful side effects.  What's not to love about that?  Coconut oil is a safe and effective (yes, sadly, I can personally vouch for this method) treatment option.

How to use it:
First rinse your hair in apple cider vinegar, leaving it until it dries completely.  This will help break down the, "glue" that holds the eggs to the shaft of the hair.  After the vinegar is dry heat the coconut oil until it's melted, then soak the head, scalp, behind the ears, and eyebrows; leave on for 60+ minutes. Wrap your head in a towel - or plastic wrap, with adult supervision - to keep the oily mess off your clothes. (An added bonus: coconut oil is a great conditioner.) It is very important to treat every member of your house hold (pets are not generally carriers). You also need a lice comb, to rid the head of bugs and eggs, if present. Remember if there are any eggs accidentally overlooked, they will hatch out approximately 7-9 days later; repeating this method may be advisable. There is great information about head lice in this article, which gives very helpful information on natural treatment options - as I said I can personally vouch for the coconut oil method; it is effective:
http://www.nontoxicalternatives.com/Head-Lice-Treatment.html

http://coconutoil.com/natural-head-lice-treatment-with-coconut-oil-and-apple-cider-vinegar/

The CDC website has fantastic information with detailed cleaning instructions:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html"

• For anything that cannot be washed in hot water, or ironed, bagging the items and leaving them sealed for 2 weeks is the best option.

• Be sure to wash all bedding for the entire family - it's a pain, but it's worth it, to get things eradicated quickly.

• Be sure to wash all hair items, combs, brushes, hats, helmets, headgear, etc. in hot soapy water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.

• Wash all linens, bath towels, bedding, or otherwise in hot water, and dry on high. 

• Remember to clean your car seats!  Vacuum them first, and if possible wash and dry them.

• Are you one of the fortunate people who have a sanitize cycle on your washer or dryer? Use it!

• Wash any clothing or linens that come into contact with the coconut oil with a few drops of dish detergent to get out the greasy residue/potential coconut smell.
  

Blessings and health to you and yours!
~Hannah Spagnola

Let's talk about what we put in our bodies

What are you putting into your body, and more importantly your children's' bodies? The food choices that are being made today, are effecting your family today, and tomorrow.

We all joke about kids eating too much sugar and then bouncing off the walls... but friends, that's a real problem. Sugar is creating an alarming spike in juvenile diabetes, and childhood obesity. Our bodies are dramatically, and negatively effected by sugar; the amount of sugar consumed by the average American is in excess of what our body needs. Have you seen an image like this floating around the internet? I'm a visual learner, and this picture really put sugar consumption into perspective:

Now, I know you'd probably never let your child sit down to consume a bag of sugar cubes, but it's vital that we think about what's hidden in the food we're consuming.

My encouragement and challenge to you is to start making small, continual, nutritional improvements.
I'm so thankful that our school asks families to bring water for our kids to drink vs. juice, etc. Our body needs water, and the benefits of staying well hydrated are amazing!
Say yes to fruits (in moderation, even too much natural sugar can be unhealthy), veggies, meats, legumes, nuts and seeds (dark leafy greens, nuts, and seeds contain Omega3 fatty acid which produce positive improvements in kids struggling with hyperactivity, or kids with sleep troubles). Consume grains, and dairy in minimal amounts. That's right, take that food pyramid and throw it right out the nearest window! Healthy food will keep your full, and energized longer.
Include your child in the grocery shopping, or gardening experience; I've read articles on this subject, and we have experienced it first-hand. Children get excited about nutrition when they're included in the process of making food choices, and preparing meals.
One especially helpful thing that has greatly improved our family's overall well-being is to consume a quality multivitamin (if you're not sure what to take, I've got great suggestions).

If you're going the prepackaged route, please read the ingredients. Opt for items that have a short, recognizable ingredients list. Avoid products with food coloring (which does alarming things to children's behavior, and minds), and sugar substitutes. There are many natural alternatives to the traditional kid's lunch snacks, and my kids love them!
You know what goes hand-in-hand with good food? Good table manners. Children should be able to sit at the table, with a napkin in their lap, learn how to chew quietly with their mouths closed, take appropriate bite sizes, belch quietly with mouth covered, followed by a polite, "Excuse me," and to wipe their hands and mouth (as needed) with their napkin. It takes diligence on our part to teach manners, but it is worth the effort - trust me.

Let's sum up: know what's in the food you're putting into your bodies, make gradual changes towards a healthier future, drink your water, embrace veggies and fruit, include your kids in the process, utilize a daily multivitamin, keep your food minimally processed, and embrace table manners. We can do this!

Blessings and health to you and yours!
~Hannah Spagnola

Sniffle, cough, sneeze – when to keep your child home from school.

It's often difficult for we parents to decipher when it's okay to send our child to school, and when they should stay home – I've experienced this during our first year of school, and countless times during my years on the other side as a teacher. Often kids seem okay in the morning, but as the day progresses their health quickly declines; nobody could have predicted that... or could they? I've learned that it's very helpful to watch children's appetite, energy level, whether they're behaving like themselves, or if they're acting “off,” and to look closely at their eyes to see if they are red-rimmed, watery, or glassy, as these can all be indications of oncoming or present illness.

On the mother end of the matter, I don't want my child to get too far behind in school work, and sometimes reorganizing my entire schedule due to illness is very disruptive (ironically I'm writing this as I wait with my son at urgent care). On the teacher side, it made my heart hurt for kids who didn't feel well, really needed the comforts of home, and the attention of caring family to help them through a sick day.
As the teacher, it is uncomfortable to have to make a judgment call, and inform families that their child is too sick to be in class because we don't want to inconvenience you, the parent; here's what happens when we don't call: we spend an exaggerated amount of time on one child, which means that others students are receiving less attention than they deserve, we teachers do get ill (even though we're exposed to “everything”) which keeps us from teaching, so everyone gets behind, and/or more students get ill and then nobody is happy.

The, “Stay home” rules (for school and elsewhere):

• If your child has a condition that requires antibiotics: 24 hours after medication is started they can return to school.

• If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more: fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

• Diarrhea or vomiting: symptom free for a full 24 hours.

• If there's yellow or green coming out of anything (eew!): symptom free for 24 hours.

• Anything else contagious: symptom free for 24 hours, or doctor's note.

Let's talk about, "cold etiquette," and prevention:
Please send Kleenex with your child if they're going to be at school with the sniffles (we're talking a mild cold that's not effecting their energy level, appetite, or behavior; clear runny nose, and no fever). Before your send your child to school with the sniffles it will be helpful to teach your child how to cover their sneezes, wipe their runny nose with Kleenex (no sleeves, please), and cover their coughs each time they sneeze or cough. What if there's no Kleenex? Teach your child to cover their coughs and sneezes in the crook of their arm - that's right hands are taboo! Teach them to make that connection of mouth touching arm to keep droplets of water from flying out of their mouth - sharing is good, but nobody wants you to share your germs. (Weird fact: a popular TV show, MythBusters, tested how far a human sneeze would travel out of the mouth, and found that their sneezes went as far as 17 feet! Those germy droplets are left suspended in the air waiting for their next unknowing victim. See why your mother told you to cover your mouth? Yuck indeed!)

After all the wiping teach your child how to properly wash their hands with soap and warm water - bubbles covering their entire hands, before rinsing. (I taught young children, but to give you a visual idea, we called this total covering,"bubble gloves" in my class) Hand washing also needs to be performed every time after using the restroom - this rule goes for both genders (just sayin').

What if there's no water available? Hand sanitizer is a useful tool, though it's not as effective as hand washing, it is better than doing nothing. Be sure to get an alcohol based hand sanitizer, and use sparingly on the smallest members of your family (I'll explain why later). Send some along with your child, and instruct them to use it each time they wipe their nose, or forget and sneeze or cough into their hands vs. their arm. Our family has experienced a dramatic reduction in illness thanks to the introduction of sanitizer; we use it immediately when we get into the car after being out and about, before we eat (when we're away from home), and many other useful times.

If there was one single thing you could do to keep the "bugs" at bay, it would be hand washing; I cannot stress thorough hand washing enough. While I'm on the topic, please buy plain old soap, don't buy antibacterial soaps - they're doing more harm than good (this goes for hand sanitizer, too); there's growing concern, and evidence, that antibacterial soap is a huge factor in the development in what the medical world calls, "drug-resistant super germs." Are you rolling your eyes at me? (Remember, I have both mom and teacher skills; that's akin to being a ninja!) Google "are antibacterial soaps a concern," and see what comes up. This insight was originally given to me by a trusted doctor.

To sum up, everyone (adults too!) should follow the, "stay home" rules, and follow the "cold etiquette" I've shared by covering coughs, and sneezes with the crook of the arm, use Kleenex for noses, wash hands thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer.
Our family strives to live by the golden rule, “Treat others as you'd like to be treated by them;” this is especially true for health. If you wouldn't want somebody to bring their child to school with X don't take your child with X school either. Or if you wouldn't want somebody at work with X... you get the point.


Blessings and health to you and yours!
~Hannah Spagnola