I found this article and they mention a lot of the things I use to prevent/treat colds: Natural Flu Defense I always keep around the house: – Tons of Emegen-C as well as high quality vitamin C – Grapefruit seed extract which I put in water to gargle and in my neti pot – Alpha [...]

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One of the issues that I often discuss with other moms of kids with special needs is how to deal with congestion and secretions. Many kids with CP have difficulty swallowing, and do not have oral motor or facial control to blow their nose, spit out mucus, or cough out mucus. Then the mucus itself [...]

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I read the post below and loved it.  This is the method we are following with Belle.  Here’s the link: Emotional Health and Development of Self-Esteem in Infants With all the articles and media  attention Magda Gerber and RIE has received during the last few months, we thought it might be appropriate to share some of [...]

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If you’ve never heard of traumeel, well, it’s about time that changed. Traumeel is probably one of the most important weapons in my health arsenal. It is a homeopathic anti-inflammatory ointment that can be used to reduce swelling and inflammation, for falls and bruises, for general aches and pains. I keep a container of it [...]

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This morning, the CEO of Aspen Seating and Nathan’s durable medical equipment rep came by the house to evaluate Nathan for an Aspen custom seating system. Tom was a pediatric physical therapist before he started his own company so he wanted to evaluate Nathan before moving forward on one of his custom chairs. After looking [...]

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Nathan’s new PT kinestiotaped him, so I thought I’d share what that looks like, and the little I know about the tape.  After evaluating Nathan she believes that his abs are profoundly weak, as well as the sides of his necks.  He placed the tape on his stomach to give his abs some feedback and [...]

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Several months ago we started taking Nathan to weekly Rolfing sessions. Not only does Nathan love these sessions, but they have also been fundamental in keeping his body in good shape. Rolfing, along with ABR, both manipulate the connective tissue and myofascia. While ABR strengthens the myofascia, Rolfing elongates and stretches, which has keep Nathan [...]

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On our way to Chicago for some work meetings I sat next to a high powered businessman and we started talking about our kids, and the conversation rapidly evolved into discussions about our jobs. He works in marketing and is focusing on internet marketing, so we had lots in common to talk about. After a [...]

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Nathan’s immune system isn’t working too well right now, which keeps us on high alert. So today I thought I’d write about some of the things I use when Nathan is sick or starting to get sick. Our worst enemy is boogers. Since Nathan can’t blow his nose or cough them out, the boogers stay [...]

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I got the results of Nathan’s bloodwork and spoke with his DAN doctor about them, who told me ALL of his symptoms are classic leaky gut symptoms. So, what is leaky gut, you might be wondering: Leaky gut syndrome describes a condition of altered or damaged bowel lining, caused by antibiotics, toxins, poor diet, parasites [...]

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* Peter Pan to the rescue!!! He rescued me from my aching heart yesterday… I missed him soooo much while I was away! He had a great time with his dad, grandma, and nanny Marta, as you can see in his eyes. I was so pleased to find him chunky, happy, and in great spirits. [...]

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Nathan’s been on the verge of getting sick for the last few days. He started sounding raspy last Wednesday. By thursday he woke up a bit warm and sounding like he could possibly be sick. So we started Marcela therapy. I went to Whole Foods and purchased some homeopathic remedies, which we started giving him [...]

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 4 years is the need to “keep it real”. As much as I love the Anat Baniel Method, I just don’t feel that I would be providing Nathan with a substantial benefit by stopping everything and travelling to Northern California 3 times in 3 months. I [...]

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Yesterday, I almost packed our bags and drove back home after our appointment with Anat Baniel. The day started badly. Nathan appeared to have caught a cold after he recovered from bronchitis two weeks ago. He had a very snotty nose and didn’t want to eat. I didn’t get much sleep as Belle decided to [...]

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I’ve talked about the importance of water and hydration before. It’s come up twice this week with a few friend so I figured I should write a post on it. For proper health it’s essential to maintain the correct acid-alkaline balance. Our pH level affects every cell in the body. Acidic imbalances for a long [...]

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Today I read a book called “Your Inner Physican and You”, written by John Upledger, the guy who invented CranioSacral therapy. It was FASCINATING. For anyone who is interested in learning more about central nervous system function and how to improve overall physical and emotional health – I highly recommend this book. Here are some [...]

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Nathan is OFF his PREVACID!  Hooray hooray hallelujah! A while ago I talked about wanting to take Nathan off prevacid.  So I added a couple of supplements, and told Owen to start giving him the prevacid every other day (he is the official prevacid doser). Well Owen got mixed up and stopped giving it to [...]

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I know some people think we’re crazy for doing all we do with Nathan. Some people think we’re chasing a dream and we should just accept reality and stop running around doing therapies. They think some of the stuff we do is nuts and why can’t we just follow convention. The answer is so simple: [...]

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I haven’t talked about Nathan’s supplements in a little while so I figured since little man is still away, today would be a good day to discuss this topic. I’m going to do this as a Q&A format as I think it’ll make things clearer: How do you know what supplements to give him, and [...]

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This is the new therapy that we are going to be starting with Nathan. This article does a great job of explaining it: Cold-Laser Therapy: How and Why It Works Here’s another page I found that summarizes LLLT. My interest was supremely piqued after speaking to another mom of a beautiful girl with CP. She [...]

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I went to see Dr. Kenny today and she told me about a new things she’s been offering her patients. It’s called exercise with oxygen therapy. Knowing how much Nathan’s benefited from HBOT thus far I was really interested in hearing about it. But instead of telling me about it – she made me try [...]

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People often ask me why I do so many things with Nathan instead of sticking to one and committing to it. The answer is simple: I do not believe that any ONE therapy can address ALL of Nathan’s needs. Nathan’s cerebral palsy affects him in every way therefore his needs are varied and multi-faceted. Below [...]

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Delayed acquisition of neonatal reflexes in newborn primates receiving a thimerosal-containing Hepatitis B vaccine: Influence of gestational age and birth weight This is an interesting publication further proving the relationship between vaccines and neurological problems. It also takes into account birth weight and gestational age. The conclusion is that there IS a correlation between vaccines [...]

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After many trials, we made it to the California Integrative Hyperbaric Institute. It was an absolutely terrifying experience as I was driving a 32 foot motor home and, well, it was terrifying. But we’re here and it’s all good. We didn’t make it in time for the first HBOT and suit therapy treatment this morning [...]

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…is leading us to the California Integrative Hyperbaric Center. Tomorrow. Yes, I mean like, Nathan will be finishing his first Hyperbaric dive in 12 hours. I’m a bit stunned by the speed of it all, and excited. Very excited. I’ve posted here how much I’ve wanted Nathan to receive HBOT. But circumstances never allowed it [...]

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I found this links through someone I know on Facebook: Worry It seems this cute little girl is suffering terrible regression in her motor skills due to the swine flu vaccine. I feel terrible for her and for her mom, and will definitely be praying for them. As for me – it reinforces my decision [...]

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If anyone is wondering whether I will vaccinate Belle (because I know you are all sitting around thinking about things like this , the answer is a clear resounding NO. Here’s a wonderful post explaining why: Vaccinations. I WILL give Belle some vaccines – not all – and the ones I give her will be [...]

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Today has been a wonderful day. This morning I forgot Nathan’s wheelchair in my car at the mechanics, so when the bus came to pick him up, he couldn’t get on. He gave us a big lip and almost cried! He’s really loving the bus ride, and fortunately they agreed to pick him up last [...]

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It’s been quiet around here these days. Did we lose everyone during our vacation? If you are still here, say YO! We’ve been busy little bees here at the Andrew house in Canyon Country. Nathan is going to preschool! In the bus! He loves it! Every day the teacher tells me of new things he’s [...]

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I know I like to preach. Whenever I encounter something I like, I want to jump on the rooftops and share it with the world, wanting to help. But maybe I preach too much? I hope that’s not the case. Today I want to jump on the rooftops again. I think this may be more [...]

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All of us deal with the effects of the problems in our children’s brains, and today I realized that although I understand basic anatomy, it’s time for me to get in there and learn more. So I am starting my own studies on development and anatomy. I wanted to share a bit of info from [...]

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I’m not sure how much internet access I’m going to have in Colombia, so I’m going to write a last post before we jump on the plane tomorrow. Since I may not have a chance to say this later: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I am so grateful to all of you who have shared this journey with [...]

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Okay this is the last thing I have to say about this topic, and then I’m moving on! I did a bit of research and found a couple of articles that I found helpful/interesting: Neuroscience for kids- Nutrition and the brain Your brain is like a car. A car needs gasoline, oil, brake fluid and [...]

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A few people commented on my Yahoo groups about the milk post, or on Facebook, so I wanted to address a few of those comments here: * If I don’t give my kids milk, then what do I give him/her? I might be completely off base here, but in my opinion, the best possible liquid [...]

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Warning: I am not hoping to upset anyone with this post. I am simply hoping to inform. Please do not be offended if you don’t like what I am saying. I am just hoping to raise awareness to an issue that I consider important. If I upset you – I am sorry. It was not [...]

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Eugenia, Mathew’s mom, sent me this video (thanks!!!!): What a wonderful testimonial for HBOT! This, and hundreds of stories like it, is why I feel that I HAVE to give HBOT in a hard chamber a try. We’ve used a soft chamber, but I haven’t seen improvements from it and I think it’s because the [...]

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Another eventful day here in Santiago Chile for the Andrew De Vivo family. Last night I woke up to Nathan’s very labored breathing. I gave him what I call a breathing treatment, which in reality consists of using the Neti Pot, until I got all of the snot out of his nose and voila, he [...]

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Over the weekend while talking with my cousin in Buenos Aires, I made the final decision to stay in Santiago until mid-March. That’s about as late as I dare traveling while pregnant – I will be 7.5 months pregnant then. I’m excited that Nathan will have the chance to work with Ramon for a total [...]

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In Feb 2008, I came across some information about drinking water that was quite an eye opener for me. To summarize, I learned that bottled water was quite harmful as it’s very acidic and devoid of necessary minerals. I also learned that disease thrives in an acidic environment, and that it’s very important to maintain [...]

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After my gastroenteritis it seems it was Nathan’s turn for an ‘itis – Bronchitis. It seems to be mild so far – he’s coughing a lot and generally miserable – and we’re doing our best to manage the symptoms at home. Sonia told us of a protocol using homeopathic medicine that we’re hoping will help [...]

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ROI is something that is highly discussed in the business world, but you hardly ever hear this word in the special needs world. In my opinion, this is a big mistake. ROI needs to be as common to our vocabulary as the words “therapy” or “progress.” In the business world, few actions are made without [...]

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It’s been about 6 months since we started seeing Dr. Kenny. I have to say that was one of the best decisions we have made regarding Nathan. He is so healthy these days and I can see the vitality in his face, in his energy, in his attitude and actions. I am so grateful to [...]

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Yesterday I went to my first BodyTalk Access class. I almost didn’t as I was so sick but I figured it was the best time to try it as maybe it would make me feel better. I have to say – it was EXCELLENT. BodyTalk is a healing modality created on the basic premise that [...]

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