I’ve just returned to Buffalo after having spent a fantastic weekend in Chico, California. There was a great turnout for my two-day, intensive seminar on homeopathy and I couldn’t have asked for a more lively, warm and welcoming bunch! There were mothers, grandmothers, chiropractors, nurses, farmers, a truck driver, teachers, and herbalists.  The vendors were interesting and  informed, and the food was out-of-this-world delicious.

Because some people are more sensitive to this refreshing herb than others, I like to recommend that you avoid it entirely, until you know for certain that mint isn’t an antidote for you.

But let’s get a little more specific with one recent question: “If I’m taking a dose once every 2 weeks indefinitely, do I need to stay away from mint the entire time?”

My answer is both “Yes” and “No”.

If mint is an antidote for you then yes, avoid it; however, some people have no problem with it. If you’re seeing improvement as a result of the remedy/ies, then try mint and see if it has an effect.  If not, then go ahead and use mint.

Sometimes, just a little mint will not antidote, while a larger amount will.

If you’re trying to avoid mint and can’t find mint-free toothpaste, how ‘bout trying my homemade, mint-free tooth powder?  I bet you won’t even miss the old stuff.

Cell salts are integrated into the building my sons used to construct. As they grew older, I'd leave it up to them to take their 4 pills while playing with Lego's.

I’d like to thank The Healthy Home Economist for first sharing the following post with her readers. Now, I’m glad to share it with you, too.

The quality of the teeth represents the status of the bone structure of the body.

Therefore, it’s important that the teeth be sound. If they are, the bones will be reliable, too.

Sometimes, parents are concerned when their child’s teeth show frequent and large cavities in spite of a  nutrient dense diet.

This is rare when children are raised on raw milk, saturated fats and bone stocks but it indeed can occur in children who have certain predisposing DNA.

In this case,  working with a credentialed homeopath would be in order; however, if the caries are not of a particularly worrisome level, much can be done to remedy the problem at home.

It generally takes a good amount of time, however Calc phos 6x and Calc fluor 12x taken thrice daily, for many months has been shown to strengthen and aid in the growth and integrity children’s teeth.

These two remedies make a great combination since Calc phos “is concerned with formation of bone and teeth and [is] an important remedy for children”; Calc fluor “is found in the surface of bones and in the enamel of teeth.”[1]

But that’s not all.  They’re specific for growth in general and it’s not uncommon to see children who have problems with their teeth display other growth issues.

Lovely!  That means that with these two remedies, we can address the entire child.

Isn’t that what homeopathy is about?

When my children were growing, I had them take Calc phos and Calc fluor on a daily basis in spite of the fact that they were raised on raw milk bone stocks and saturated fats.

During these years, it appeared that two of our boys’ teeth were growing in a crooked fashion.  In fact, I’m sure that if we hadn’t chosen our holistic dentist, we  might have been pressured to consider dental  braces.

Instead, I believed that as they grew, their teeth would grow and straighten accordingly.

That’s exactly what happened.

A simple technique for administering these remedies is to add them directly to jugs of milk.  In one gallon of milk, add 10 or so  pills of each, stir and the job is complete. As your children ingest their milk throughout the day, they’ll get these two remedies in each sip.

Now, our boys have fine, strong and straight teeth without the “aid” of orthodontia.

We saved ourselves not only thousands of dollars, but more importantly,  allowed their bodies to complete the work of bone alignment on their own….with a little help from nutrient dense foods and our beloved homeopathic remedies.

[1] Chapman, J.B. The Biochemic Handbook. St. Louis, Missouri: Formur, Inc. Publishers. 1994.12-13

This is an excerpt from my upcoming system, “How to Raise a Drug Free Family”, which I’ll be using to teach my first year-long webinar course for mothers and others. Stay tuned for the latest updates!

Joette Calabrese

I feel like I’ve hit the ground running this New Year’s!

But I couldn’t be more thrilled since I’m busy preparing for my intensive, 2-day seminar in Chico, California. The WAPF chapter of Chico Butte has invited me to teach mothers and others how they can be the healer in their families using homeopathy and plain old common sense.

This is my life’s passion, so it’s all very exciting for me.

And besides, who wouldn’t be eager for the California sunshine? It’s a welcome change from the cold, grey winter that settled into Western New York.

Feel free to check out seminar and registration details here. I hope you’ll be able to join me and learn how YOU can become the sole healer in your family.

Maybe we’ll meet there!

And remember, a magical Christmas is meant for each and  every one us.

Love, Joette

What you and your family deserve this Christmas is rich, thick eggnog that’s loaded with live enzymes, nutrient dense vitamins and of course, deliciously good cheer.

The quality of the ingredients add a superb benefit, but are not necessary.  Go with the highest quality you can find such as raw, organic milk and cream and free range egg yolks. If the eggs are not free-range, try to have at least organic.  Eggs eaten raw should not be conventionally produced.

Here’s what you’ll need:

12 free range eggs

6 cups raw milk

2 cups heavy, raw cream

1/2 cup raw honey (my 1^st choice, because of the accompanying raw enzymes, but maple syrup will do, too.)

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, plus more for dusting

Here’s what you do:

Submerge the eggs (still in the shell) in a large bowl of very hot water plus a few drops of dish soap. As the water cools; wash and rinse, then wipe the eggs dry.

Separate the egg yolks and place them in a mixer together with the honey and beat for 10 minutes. Refrigerate the egg whites (you’ll need them later). Allow the egg yolk mixture to cool in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

30 minutes before you plan to serve, mix the milk into the chilled yolk mixture. If you plan to add brandy, this is the time to stir it in. Along with this, add in 1 -1/2 tsp nutmeg.

On high-speed, in a separate bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then fold the cream into the egg mixture.

Ladle into frosted glasses and sprinkle with the remainder of nutmeg.   Serves 8 cups.

Oh, yum.

These are easy, but beware.

You’ll want to make a couple extra batches for yourself.

• Chutney…Kick it up a notch when you add a little spark to an otherwise docile fruit preserve. Fruit chutneys look beautiful and taste festive, too.  Use apples, and try seasoning with cumin or coriander.

Or how about oranges with chili peppers? There are countless variations. Pour your finished product into clean, glass canning jars and for a personalized touch, make your own labels. Here’s a basic recipe for Cherry Chutney from Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions:

4 cups ripe cherries, pitted and quartered

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon whole cloves

Grated rind and juice of 1 orange

1/8 cup Sucanat

¼ cup whey

2 teaspoons sea salt

½ cup filtered water

Mix cherries with spices and orange rind, place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down lightly. Mix remaining ingredients and pour into jar, adding more water if necessary to cover the cherries. The top of the chutney should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator. This should be eaten within 2 months.

• Vanilla extract…This universal favorite makes a great, long lasting gift. And, to top that, it’s easy to do. Check out my recipe here! Every time your loved ones add a teaspoon into their latest batch of cookies, they’ll think of you.

• Slow Roasted Holiday Nuts…Choose your favorite nut or a selection of only raw nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.) and soak them overnight and for up to 24 hours. Drain and spread the nuts on cookie sheets and sprinkle with Celtic sea salt. You can season them with a variety of herbs or spices, such as cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, nutmeg, cloves, etc. Slow roast them in an oven preheated to 150° F, for 6-8 hours or until crispy. Place in little paper bags and tie with colorful ribbons.

Enjoy!

With autumn’s arrival, many of us have to say goodbye to sunny skies for what will be many dreary months.

Whenever I sit in the sun, like my cell phone juice, I can feel the bars filling up again.

But without our free source of vitamin D, we’re left to fend for ourselves to keep vitamin D levels adequate.

No one wants the winter blues and it’s well established that they result from a deficiency of vitamin D, present in soluble fats.

How can we be certain that our families are getting enough vitamin D in their diet without relying on the so-called “fortified” cereals, milks and synthetic vitamins?

As a homeopath who teaches mothers and others how to maintain and restore heath, I often suggest using lard in baking (like our grandmother’s pies!) and in sautéing.  I also teach folks how to employ homeopathic remedies, such as Calc phos 6x, to help promote the proper absorption of nutrients.

All good stuff.

But truly, the easiest way to sustain vitamin D in the winter is to take fermented cod liver oil daily.

Yet, I’ll share a secret.  I teach my clients that cod liver oil is essential even in the warmer months.   Why? Because no matter how often our children are outside, getting vitamin D from the sun, another priceless characteristic of cod liver oil is in fact, the liver itself. Quite simply, liver contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food!

It took me years to learn the importance of the consistent habit of eating liver, particularly that from a clean source.  Yet, when I was raising my children, it was nearly impossible to get liver into them.  After years of pâté, liver smothered in bacon and onions and many turned up noses, I simply had to find a simple solution. Desiccated beef liver, available from Radiant Life in both powder and capsules, provides a convenient way to obtain all the legendary health and nutritional benefits of liver.

It can even be sprinkled into soups and stews and served to unsuspecting recipients of this sacred food!

Getting back to the importance of fermented cod liver oil…

Fermented cod liver oil is a time-tested method for consuming these most precious nutrients. Our ancestors instinctively understood the importance of daily cod liver oil long before the studies substantiated the findings.

My Italian grandmothers raised their large and robust families on such fare. When there was barely enough money for milk during the depression, they made certain that their children at least had cod liver oil. Fermented cod liver oil wasn’t available to them, but at least plain cod liver oil was.

Fermented cod liver oil is packed with fat-soluble vitamin D, which helps promote bone and teeth growth, as well as building immunity. Additionally, it supports healthy body weight and encourages brain development and lung function.

The high quality fermented fare   wasn’t available in capsules when my children were young.  So,  I incorporated a nightly ritual of taking cod liver oil with a tall glass of fresh milk.  My boys affectionately dubbed it the “spoon of doom”.

It made it more fun.

Things are different today. Now, my sons are young men and they take their fermented cod liver oil daily on their own.  In fact, while in college, they often doubled up on their dose while studying for exams.  The results were always high grades.

Radiant Life makes these age-old products available, and I make the recommendation to all my students/clients and anyone who asks, to take advantage of this near perfect food. For those who wish to avoid the cod liver oil’s taste, fermented cod liver oil capsules are the answer to skipping over the “spoon of doom”.

No need to let those clouds keep you and your family down this season. Instead, make Fermented Cod Liver Oil part of your daily routine and you’ll keep your brain sharp and a sunny smile, too.

The best way to use these homeopathic remedies is to take one dose every 3-4 hours over the period of 1-2 days.  When improved, stop.

1)    When over eating has caused nausea that you wish would just produce vomiting to get it over with, then your remedy is Nux vomica 30.

2)    Nux vomica is also a capitol choice for the proverbial hangover.  It will end nausea and vomiting in relatively short order.

3)    When relentless vomiting is the main symptom, try Ipecac 30.

4)    When there is simple indigestion and over acidity, then Nat phos 6x can be taken every hour. Use in place of antacids.

5)    For true food poisoning such that causes chills, stomach pains and anxiety then Arsenicum album 30 should be taken. This is best saved for when your turkey is tainted.

6)    And one more tip for good measure! For indigestion, add a splash of vinegar to a glass of water and drink. It will bring soothing relief.

Try these tried and true homeopathic remedies this year and you might just find it easier to enjoy yourself – Happy Thanksgiving!