Sick Family

Look up the disease Celiac Sprue. It is very common. It is a gluten intolerance and can cause many stomach issues and other illnesses. One out of 133 (statistics) have the disease and many are undiagnosed. A simple (maybe expensive) blood test can test for the disease. It can run in familes. I have the disease and so do 5 other close relatives. Don't worry, if you or anyone may have it, it is very simple to treat.

A few suggestions…
You can boost up everyone’s immunity by taking vitamins and probiotics. Florify probiotics are great supplements and VERY affordable, compared to others on the market.

Also, I am a BIG proponent of chiropractic adjustments for everyone, including infants. I have been seeing a chiropractor for years and totally believe in the benefits of chiropractic care. I got adjusted during both my pregnancies and my children have been adjusted since they were days old. We have given our chiropractor the title of our primary family physician and we see him before we go to the medical doctors (that’s how much we respect his expertise!). If you go this route, be sure that you see a pediatric specialty chiropractor for your son…there are chiropractors that will adjust infants and children without specialized training and it may not be a good experience.

Finally, you may want to look at the household cleaners and personal care items in your house, such as laundry soap, dish soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. A lot of these products have toxic chemicals that are harmful to us. Look into healthier or even organic products if you can. I work for a company that sells over 400 natural products that are a little cheaper that the organic products I used to buy at food coops. If you’re interested I can show you how to get these products yourself.

I do think the food we eat is VERY important to our overall health as well. Rent the movies, Food Inc. and Food Matters. It made us think twice about the foods we buy.

Good luck Mama! And I hope you can all feel some relief soon!

I ask how often is the sickness? Has it only recently started? Have you changed anything in your office around the time you all started getting sick, ie detergent, disinfectant, cleaners, shampoo or body wash? I agree about the detoxing the house. I detoxed mine around a year ago and what a difference it has made in our house. My husband and I have also started a highly absorbable multi-vitamins which has really helped with my energy levels.

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I second the other person who stated you should have your family checked for Celiac disease, as it is hereditary. If any of you are positive for it, it is cured entirely by diet (doing away with wheat, rye, and barley; oats are acceptable IF they are not cross-contaminated). However, you will also want to be tested for any other food allergies and intolerances, because anything that is a problem with food and nutrition will cause you to have a lowered immune system, hence, getting colds and sick all the time, AND it will more than likely cause other food allergies and intolerances as well, because your gut is more susceptible to causing other nutitional problems.

Two years ago, my family started doctoring with an Integration Doctor and a Naturopathic Doctor after I was kicked out of my clinic after doctoring with them for 10 years. Why? Because I was extremely sick, and my doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. So I went the alternative healthcare route; it's a good thing I did, because otherwise, I would never have known what was wrong with me and my family.

Our diagnoses included: severe heavy metal toxicity; severe malabsorption; severe casein (cow milk) allergy; severe soy intolerance; severe gluten intolerance; other food intolerances; several vitamin/mineral deficiencies; three mutations on the P450 Cytochrome CYP2C9, which regulates how your body detoxifys and also how it metabolizes food; and, for me, several severe nutritional deficiencies and moderate to severe adrenal fatigue.

ALL of these problems 1) stem back to the fact that we have a genetic mutation in how our liver detoxes and metabolizes, and 2) all of them stem from problems with food, which weakened our bodies and our immune systems.

Two years ago, we went on a totally organic food diet, getting rid of all prepared and processed foods and drastically cutting out foods made with artificial dyes, colorings, flavorings, etc. We put in a reverse osmosis water system on our kitchen sink (we have well water, so thankfully, no city water with all of the chemicals). I am currently working with the ND to get my adrenal fatigue under control; if you suffer from adrenal fatigue, that will further weaken your immune system and will impact on everything else in your body. In fact, your children CAN be born with adrenal fatigue if the mother has adrenal fatigue.

I believe my 10-year-old daughter has a problem with her adrenals as well. My daughter suffers from Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and anxiety; putting her on an organic diet and giving her supplements that complement what her body is lacking because of her mild gluten intolerance has done wonders to help her and her conditions. Since starting an organic diet with supplements to help build up the crucial areas my body was lacking, I have gone from being on 12 prescription drugs to taking only 2 drugs; it is hopeful that I will get off those 2 drugs sometime this year.

Eating organic and taking specific supplements helped keep us from having ZERO colds or flus this past year.

I went off gluten for about 6 months, then back on a Gluten Challenge because my blood work had me hovering on the edge of Celiac. So I went through the endoscopy biopsies, but they came back negative. I also did the blood test, which came back as being highly unlikely either I (or my daughter) would ever get Celiac (per the two Halotypes they currently test for). However, all three of us are gluten intolerant; that will never go away.

You might find these books to be of interest:

Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, & Food Supplements, by Phyllis A. Balch

Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, by James L. Wilson, ND, DC, PhD

The Gluten Connection: How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health--And What You Can Do to Take Control Now, by Shari Lieberman, PhD, CNS, FACN

Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications, by Cleo J. Libonati, RN, BSN

Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, by Dr. Peter HR Green, MD

We had an Ultra Violet light installed in our ductwork. It has eliminated ALOT of Doctor's visits. Look it up on the interenet. There is a long list of things it kills. It's not cheap, but neither is my insurance co-pay!

95% of stomach sickness is from the food we eat.

So is it stomach sickness or congested head and running nose sickness? Since your children are school age, it may be that something is being passed back and forth between students at school. If it is an allergy type thing, it very well could be something in your home. What type of cleaning products do you use? There are a lot of products which contain chlorine bleach and ammonium. These can very easily set off allergy reactions and cause sinus infections. You may want to start a chart or log to follow everyone's activities for a week or so. When someone gets sick, look back and see what they have been doing and who with.

Hope this helps.

L.

I'd take a look at sanitizing food preparation areas - counters, cutting boards, etc. Clean fridge handles, knobs, door handles, anything your hands come into regular contact with. Make sure raw meat is properly handled / cooked and it and it's juices does not come into contact with cooked meat or other foods. Consider using paper towels instead of sponges or dish towels. It's also possible rotavirus is making the rounds (seems like everyone is throwing up a lot this spring).