This is not the easiest post in the world to write. For real, I used to think that Natural moms were crazy and their kids just suffered through things like allergies and sickness or simple headaches.
I was wrong.
I use to think that Natural Moms gave their kids the oils or the herbs but that they didn’t actually help. Or at the very best it was a placebo effect…
I use to think that Natural Moms didn’t notice when their kids suffered with allergies. I didn’t believe when they said they didn’t have allergies or that their natural solutions worked…so clearly they must not care enough to notice.
I may not have consciously had these thoughts but I definitely doubted Natural Moms. I couldn’t imagine a life without hay fever, my oral allergy syndrome, sicknesses here and there, unbearable menstrual cycles, and not popping a pill whenever a headache came around. Everyone I knew had these same issues, some people had slightly less and some had more issues. But NO ONE had no issues…that’s crazy. Everyone required some sort of medication, right?
Right?
My Natural-Minded Husband
People are usually surprised to find out that my husband is the crunchier of the two of us. Although there’s some debate on that now – I think I may have passed him up!
He grew up in one of those ultra-natural homes. I have to apologize to my in laws that are probably reading this…I thought you guys were a little crazy. Ha! I don’t think that comes as a surprised to you though. I tried to be open and I’ve tried to learn and I don’t think you are crazy anymore 😉
They do the natural thing, are a medicine-free home, grind their own flour, etc.
But you know what always confused me?
My husband doesn’t have allergies.
He rarely, if ever, gets sick.
He doesn’t get the headaches like I used to get.
He doesn’t SUFFER through things. He just treats them differently. And I didn’t always believe that. I actually doubted that my husband didn’t have allergies…like at all. I couldn’t imagine a life without those issues and without medicine to address them with.
And Then I Became a Natural Mom…on Accident
Everything started to change when I had my daughter. She was extremely colic. She was on gas and reflux medicines, I changed my diet (cut out all seven major allergens – gluten, eggs, dairy, etc) drastically since I was a nursing mom. I did everything I could to try to get her to feel better.
Everything started to change when I showed up at a stranger’s house for an Essential Oil class. I bought the cheapest starter kit and started a digestive system support protocol. I think my husband was cautiously excited that I had just bought something natural to try on our baby.
What happened was nothing short of a miracle. I had a different baby. She was happy and healthy.
There’s no placebo effect with a newborn that cries all the time. If she was still hurting, she would have kept on crying. But it stopped. We saw smiles instead.
And it wasn’t because of medicine. I wasn’t “missing” anything. This Natural product WORKED.
The Natural Mama in me was born.
Honestly it just becomes a rabbit hole from there. You research medicines, foods, organic vs non organic, GMOs, tap water, you name it, I’ve probably researched it!
What I’ve Learned about Natural Moms
They Don’t Make Their Kids Suffer
It turns out that all those natural products – the essential oils, the herbs, supplements, the healthy diet, monitoring toxins, sunshine, and more…they all work. (Here’s a list of over 21,000 studies on PubMed for essential oils alone.)
When their kid has head tension they drink water, apply peppermint essential oil (1), and they rest their eyes. And it works…and guess what?? They just avoided a dangerous drug called acetaminophen (2). It’s dangerous for the liver, reduces glutathione (important for proper immune function, protects the brain, helps with tissue building and repair, and more), and has REAL long term side effects. Oh it’s just a Tylenol….yeah that’s what I used to think. It’s not something that should be popped lightly.
Now I know that natural moms have alternatives that WORK and they don’t have those negative side effects. And guess what? They help prevent future issues by not damaging the liver.
When their kids get sick, they make elderberry syrup, use essential oils, drink water, use supplements, drink bone broth, or even just rest. And surprise, surprise…it works. So many of my friend’s kids get sick. All kids get sick – it’s actually good for them. It’s important that kids’ immune systems are exposed at appropriate ages because it can make them less likely to get other diseases later on in life. You can see this article where a scientist talks about the importance of an infection of some sort in infancy – because it reduces their chance of getting leukemia.(3) Natural Moms aren’t afraid of disease. Their natural solutions WORK.
They Do Things Differently.
Go try this. Go post on Facebook and ask your friends this: “Have your kids ever had Hand Foot Mouth Disease? If so, how long did it last and what did you use to treat it?”
You might be shocked. I was shocked when I had a friend make this post. The Natural Mama’s said that it last 3-4 days TOPS and they used a slew of natural solutions. And conventional moms said 10-14 days…
The results speak for themselves. Ask about any issues like allergies, flu, ear aches.
These kids’ immune systems aren’t suppressed by toxins, by medicines, by guts that have had to try to recover from antibiotics. They are better equipped to handle issues and when they do arise, their solutions work. You can see how the gap gets wider, too. Each medicine builds on the last, all the damage adds up over the years. Each medicine AVOIDED adds up and the recovery builds up over the years.
Natural Moms aren’t against modern medicine. I know a LOT of Natural Moms and none of them are against it. But they try something else first. Modern Medicines are the last thing they try and they only use it if it is absolutely necessary. And then those Natural Moms work hard to help their kids recover from things like antibiotic use or exposure to toxins.
When the Natural Mom Offers Help
Please know that the Natural Moms in your life don’t judge you. I don’t judge you for grabbing Tylenol when you get a headache. And I don’t judge you when you run to the doctor for antibiotics for things. I really don’t.
Why?
Because I understand. I’ve been there. I was once the desperate mom that changed doctors and begged for help and tried all the medicine for my poor baby.
I’ve been there.
When I suggest an essential oil, or reducing toxins, or an organic, vegetable heavy diet…it’s because I’ve seen the Healing in my own Home. I feel like I have a moral obligation to share what I know.
If you had found what feels like a miracle drug, wouldn’t you feel morally obligated to share it?
I feel that way about my Natural Mom lifestyle. It’s okay if you don’t want to try what I suggest. But know that it comes from a place of love and of healing.
It turns out that Natural Mom don’t make their kids suffer…
