I am a wife, a mom, a grandmother. I am passionate about Jesus and health - the two are intricately woven - and I am passionate about helping others who desire to learn more about both.
All vaccines have the legal classification of being unavoidably unsafe. Dr Tony Bark
Trust parental instinct. If something goes wrong, you are going to have to live with it for a long time. We have had Public Health for about 50 years, but maternal instinct has been around for thousands of years. Dr Andrew Wakefield
There are many thoughtful, highly trained medical professionals who are actively involved in caring for vaccine injured children These professional have spent hours researching the history and science of vaccination and concluded that vaccines are to be approached with extreme caution.
This community consists of MDs, PhDs, DOs, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, parents and grandparents. They have have learned from listening to parents and being wiling to release a mindset stuck in a paradigm that they were trained in. Listening to parents and being willing to challenge the dogma they have been entrenched in, enables them to understand the science and history behind vaccines and understand what mechanisms are happening in the body when there are vaccine injuries.
Theses medical professionals supporting families with vaccine injury, like you and me, need to eat and enjoy living indoors, but they are not earning multimillions through connections with corporations. These corporations are not liable for any damage, death or injury caused by vaccines. If someone is supporting and promoting vaccines it is imperative that you explore any possible conflicts of interests. Before you believe someone who claims to be a specialist, check out how their income is impacted through their connection with vaccine acceptance.
Vaccine damage is a reality – yet those who manufacture them are not held responsible, only given profits. If your child is injured or dies as a result of vaccines you cannot seek any recourse from the manufacturers. You can file a claim through the special vaccine court set up by the government, which has paid out over $2.5 B, but they only have settled 25% of the claims made to them.
Think about it. You have to choose who to trust. Take some time. You can never unvaccinate.
What matters most to you when you consider vaccinating?
Ok, I admit I sometimes get those cravings for something rich, sweet and gooey. We have a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies with oats that are legendary. Breaking that habit is hard.
Trying to go gluten zero is not easy. Gluten free and sugar-free is taking it to another level. I haven’t even begun to go dairy free, although I do choose raw organic milk in small quantities!
Making wise food choices sometimes seems like a battle. So, here is something I tried that I think might become a new go-to food!
½ Tablespoon peanut butter
½ Tablespoon coconut oil
¼ Tablespoon local organic honey
A sprinkle of cacao nibs
Mix together and savor! Enjoy it with a cup of your best hot healthy beverage, or just a cup of tea!
I try to use mostly natural organic ingredients. I like my peanut butter freshly ground from organic peanuts. If you can’t eat peanuts, other nut butters would work.
Double the batch if you want to share. Or encourage your kids to make their own delicious, healthy, natural treat. A little goes a long way to fight those cravings!
What are your favorite ways to fight the sugar cravings?
In the area of health we are bombarded with information, often competing and contradictory. There are powerful forces at work to keep us confused, sick and dependent.
Most of us don’t have time to delve into the latest research and make sense of it. Only when we, or someone we love is faced with a huge health challenge, do we get the motivation necessary to delve into the details and research what is truly healthy. We also get the motivation needed to follow our new knowledge with action.
I have spent hours researching various aspects of health. My body is my personal science experiment. I put what I learn into practice as a part of my research. I love sharing what I learn with others.
Children’s Health
I am particular passionate about raising healthy children. I began my healthy parenting journey 31 years ago with reading Adele Davis’ book, Let’s Have Healthy Children and continue to endorse her approach to helping our children reach their unique potential through breastfeeding and providing whole foods in as close to their natural state as possible, while avoiding processed foods. In our present day, I think Mrs Davis would be shocked by the state of children’s health in our country where childhood cancer, auto-immune diseases, diabetes, behavior disorders, etc are all reaching epidemic proportions.
I raised five children who are making wise nutritional choices as adults and parents themselves. Feeding a family is a very difficult job in today’s world with so many quick, easy, tasty options tempting us. Parents today face an enormously difficult task in raising healthy children. Join me in a Journey of discovering optimal health for every member of the family.
A coach is someone trained and devoted to guiding others into increased competence, commitment, and confidence. I’d love to help you reach your personal health goals.
How do you implement and encourage healthy nutrition in your family? Please let me know your ideas in the comments section below.
Imagine if you could hire someone to do all your shopping and healthy food preparation for you! What a luxury! What a thrill.
This is the reason we often find ourselves going out for a meal, whether in a restaurant or fast food, because we want someone else to do the work for us.
So, if you could get a real live person to take over this part of your life, what instructions would you give them?
“Just make me healthy food.”
This instruction might not be enough. We all have different definitions of health. Many distinctively unhealthy fast food outlets promote the health of their products!
Most of us at some point have assumed that the food products available in the grocery store are safe – we do have an organization called the Food and Drug Association, which is there (paid by our tax dollars) to make sure the options are safe and healthy – right?
Every family has their own interpretation of ‘healthy food.’ Every mother teaches her children food preferences.
So, how do we navigate the maze and figure out what healthy food means in 2013? If someone was shopping and preparing food for me, this is what I would instruct them to buy and prepare:
Limited grains: oats, rice, quinoa, wheat or wheat flour (all organic if possible);
For a treat: organic corn chips, organic salsa, fresh vegetable juices
Once you get all the good ingredients home, then the fun part of figuring out how you are going to prepare it begins!
Some people say, eating healthy is so expensive, but I remind them that cancer is being expensive; being sick and disabled is VERY expensive.
What principles help you with your grocery shopping? I’d love to hear from anyone who has transitioned even further on the road to health and is growing some of their own organic foods!
1. Involve your family as much as possible. Don’t try to be the big heavy coming in with a massive overhaul to the current status quo. Nobody likes that guy.
Brainstorm together what are your favorite meals to make at home. Start with an open-ended question: What are your favorite meals we’ve made at home? What are your memories of good meal experiences? What meals do you choose at restaurants?
Encourage their cooking efforts and make it a priority to give them opportunities to explore food preparation for themselves and the family. Start early, but keep your expectations small and allow freedom.
Cook together as a family. Plan a meal that requires everyone’s help in chopping, etc. Some good group cooking meal ideas: make your own pizza (even the dough is simple when doing the work with friends!), tacos, sushi (haven’t mastered that one yet), etc.
2. Pick your battles. Make a list of EVERYTHING that is important that you would like to change. Brainstorm (maybe by yourself or with a friend, so your family doesn’t know all the intel). Get ALL your ideas written down. Take a deep breath; don’t feel overwhelmed because there is so far to go. Prioritize your list and start with one or two things at the top of the list.
3. Model healthy choices. What you do speaks far more loudly than any lecture you could give. But don’t have a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Gently explain the choices you are making and why – when the opportunity arises.
4. Catch them doing something good. Affirm healthy choices that you see: even if they choose to drink a glass of water. Find something! People will move in a positive direction if it is encouraged.
5. Exercise together. Set up family dates to go for a walk, play Frisbee golf, hike, etc. If it helps increase enthusiasm and participation, encourage the kids to invite friends for the activity.
Caution: Don’t set the bar so high – for yourself or others – or you may be tempted to give up before you even get started. Baby steps in the right direction will lead to bigger and bigger steps and before you know it, you will look back and see that you have made tremendous progress!
Please share some ideas that you have found easy to implement to help your family improve their nutrition in the comments. We’d all like to get some new ideas!
A text message conversation prompted me to think of more answers to the question “Why didn’t you get a flu shot?”
My mom lives in a retirement community that offers annual flu shots. They have someone come out every year to administer them for the convenience of the residents. I made sure my mom was fully informed as to WHY she did NOT want to get one, but then she was worried about what she was going to say!
My Mom’s message:
Hi!! O.K.– so yesterday I didn’t show up where they were giving flu shots. Now — what am I supposed to say when I run into a person of authority and he asks me ‘why’! ‘My daughter told me not to’ sounds pretty weak!! Love you!! Mom
Other possible answers: “Someone who loves me a lot has researched it extensively and told me there is too much mercury in the shot. They don’t want me to suffer from mercury poisoning. “
Or, “Many people have acquired GBS (Guillain-Barre syndrome) from the flu shot which is extremely debilitating.”
Or, “I’m going to stay healthy this winter with Vitamin D3.”
Or, “Flu shots make me sick.”
Or, “If I got a flu shot my daughter might have a nervous breakdown!”
And you could add, “But if I get sick, I will send for my daughter and quarantine myself!”
You could also say, “Have you read what is in those shots?”
“Have you read the contraindications?”
“I don’t think my husband would want me to get this one!” (My mom is a widow. My dad was an MD)
There are many approaches to take. I like to follow the Biblical patterns of communication and figure out how I can apply them in my life. I confess I don’t always get it right, but here are two principles:
“a soft answer turns away wrath”
Questions, when asked politely, usually give you the upper hand.
Here are more examples of strong questions in response to the question “Why don’t you get flu shots?” or when you are experiencing pressure to agree to a flu shot:
“What do you know about the contra-indications – that is, the people who shouldn’t get flu shots”?
“Did you know you can find the vaccine package insert from the FDA for every shot? The vaccine package insert is provided by the manufacturers lists all the ingredients, the contraindications, and the side effects. It also states that some categories of people should not get flu shots. Have you read it?”
“Do you know how effective the flu shot is expected to be for this flu season? Some years it’s been as low as 15% accurate.”
“Do you know what they make flu shots from? Did you know they’ve been experimenting with growing the flu virus in different mediums? Do you know the other ingredients in a flu shot, like mercury which is in the multi dose vials?”
“Do you know what mercury does to your brain and why the FDA limits the amount in ingestible foods to well below the amount they want to put into a person’s body with a needle?”
When you think about it, most people who think the flu shot is a good idea really believe that it is good. They have been influenced by the vast amount of money spent on marketing by those who would benefit from flu shot sales. They haven’t been exposed to the research and facts that show the flu shot is overrated and possibly very dangerous. Most doctors are “educated” by the drug reps who want to sell more drugs, or by the CDC who has a dodgy record regarding accurately communicating vaccine safety studies (see #CDCwhistleblower).
You can read what I shared with my mother here. It was prompted by our text conversation.
How about you, what is your best response to those who try to influence you to get a flu shot?
My mom is 79 years young. She was married to my dad, a medical virologist, for 45 years before his death in 2003. She made a bold decision to skip the flu vaccine this year but wanted some information to help her explain her decision to those who are encouraging everyone to get a flu shot.
Dear Mom, I care a lot about you. I want you to enjoy good health for as long as you live. I wish we could live closer so that we could spend more time together. I would love to stop over every week for a regular date.
Since that is not our current reality, I thought I would share some really important information on the flu shot. If I were closer I would be able to give this information bit by bit. But I’ve been collecting credible sources of information on the flu and flu shot and want to share some of the best. It’s hard to say how many hours of research I have done, but I feel like I am getting close to having at least a Bachelor’s Degree in vaccine information!
Firstly, Something VERY IMPORTANT: Compensation for Vaccine Injury
Something really important to consider in this whole debate is that if you do get a flu shot (or any vaccine), the manufacturer is not liable to pay for any damages or injury it might cause. If you get GBS and are paralyzed (nurses and doctors see this condition frequently in emergency rooms and one of the first questions they ask is, have you recently got a flu shot?) or if you need extensive medical treatment for any injury, there is no recourse with the pharmaceutical company. There is a process where you can make a claim to the government Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), but only about 2% of all injuries are reported and only about 25% of all claims considered receive any compensation. There has been $2.6 Billion (update as of 11/2018 $4 Billion) paid out to 3000 claimants since this system began, and a large percentage of the claims have been paid out for flu vaccine injury.
Video 1: “You need to become vaccine educated.” Barbara Loe Fisher
This video is a great place to start. It is a 20 minute explanation by Barbara Loe Fisher. [She is introduced by Dr Mercola whom you might not like, but keep watching because after his introduction, he doesn’t say anything else.] She started the NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center) almost 30 years ago after her son was injured by vaccines. She is a very calm rational voice and in this video she explains the current flu shot options (in 2013 there are 12 different flu vaccines made by 7 companies), how to find out what is in each one, and what the contraindications for each one are. She recommends that if you are thinking about getting a flu shot, the very least you should do is get the information sheet on it and read it thoroughly in advance.
Video 2: Think Twice
This is a short video (<9 minutes) with many facts and figures on the flu, how the flu vaccine is made, all the ingredients, some possible reactions to the flu vaccine, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in all age groups, and other ways to protect against the flu.
Video 3: Dr John Bergman, Chiropractor in California
Dr Bergman has very strong views and has a hard time not being passionate about his views. I can relate completely! So, this is a warning, don’t watch the next video unless you are ready to hear someone who has a very strong negative opinion about the flu shot! He claims 0% effectiveness in elderly. He lists some of the suspect ingredients in many flu shots – like aborted human fetal tissue and other toxic substances and have been shown to cause cancer. I think most of the elderly people I know would not be too excited about that.
Video 4: Dr Sherri Tenpenny
I’ve saved the best for last! In this calm video explanation, Dr Sherri Tenpenny uses a lot of statistics from the CDC itself. She also describes what is the flu, what is the flu shot, what is in the flu vaccine, what the scientific research says regarding the effectiveness of the flu shot, and what can you do to treat and prevent the flu. This is a very worthwhile watch, it will take about 50 minutes. So, fix a cup of tea, relax and listen.
If you don’t have time, bottom line, the flu shot doesn’t even significantly prevent flu! “In the Cochrane study done in 2006 which was a review of 48 reports including more than 66,000 adults, “Vaccination of healthy adults only reduced risk of influenza by 6% and reduced the number of missed work days by less than one day (0.16) days. It did not change the number of people needing to go to hospital or take time off work.” Reference: “Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults.” The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 1 (2006)
Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!
I have grown to respect Marc Davids ideas about food after attending parts of his on-line Psychology of Eating course. If you have ever struggled with your weight or desired to make changes, here is a great article that might help you see your situation in a new light and give you some perspective that will be highly beneficial in achieving the results you desire!
In order for God to extend my influence in many arenas He needs me to be wholly and humbly submitted to Him. One of the clearest evidences of my submission is seen in my heart and life response to “wives submit to your husbands, as to the Lord” (from Colossians 3). God has given my husband greater physical strength, different biology, and different brain wiring. God has also designated him to be the ’deciding vote’ in matters where we disagree. Most people are familiar with a CEO or President in a company carrying more voting power AND more RESPONSIBILITY.
As I submit to my husband, I am not a doormat. I can present my case. I can have a viewpoint that differs from my husband’s. I know he values and seeks out my opinions. But when we disagree (which is often) I can humbly submit, without any bitterness, resentment, nagging or manipulation, knowing that I am actually surrendering my desires in this issue to God.
Ultimately God can turn my husband’s heart. God may also be protecting me from something I am currently unaware of.
It’s not easy and I don’t always get it right (ask my children – or my husband). As I seek to wholly surrender myself to Jesus, because of how He surrendered EVERYTHING for me, my faith in His ability to guide my life grows.
Surrender is a part of the journey, how have you learned submission and surrender?
Sort through the maze of your life to find direction
Provide feedback to help you formulate your plans
Focus on the future
Realize your own potential
Believe in yourself and the power of your inner calling
Get organized
Begin a new course of action
Navigate a challenging season of life
Make the most of your opportunities
A life coach doesn’t…
Have their own agenda
Judge your actions by their own assumptions
Give you advice
Share your information with anyone else
A life coach…
Allows you to set the agenda
Focuses on you, listens to you and helps you explore you
Shares insight about you that is gained through the process
Prioritizes you during your coaching sessions
Respects your potential
Has a high regard for your creative ability to arrive at great solutions
That’s just a few of the benefits of a life coach. If you’d like to explore how a life coach could add value to your life, you are invited to experience a free 30 minute inquiry call.
All vaccines have the legal classification of being unavoidably unsafe. Dr Tony Bark
