About My Journey

As many of you know, and if you don't now you do. Since Danny has started Chiropractic school, we have changed the way we do a lot of things. Most days this has about zero impact on my life. At first it took me a little longer to do my grocery shopping at Wal-mart because it required me to read ALL the labels on the things we buy. It was really quite amazing to me the things I had been putting into my body! Needless to say I try to have a partially hydrogenated oil free house and well as high fructose corn syrup, oh yeah and I can't forget the dreaded aspartame (nutra-sweet, splenda etc). If you want more info on why leave me a comment I am always more than happy to get on my soap box about it, we aren't perfect, my current weakness is Ritz crackers but I have yet to find a suitable replacement for them, and I just love the way they melt in your mouth. My kids have adjusted to organic, or at least high fructose corn syrup free applesauce. (I am a stickler on the aspartame thing it is an absolutely not kind of a thing.) Anyway we have done it in baby steps, and although it took me about 9 months to get over the shakes every time I went down the diet coke aisles I gave up the sauce 15 months ago. It has been fairly easy, sometimes I am the first one to make the change and sometimes Danny is but eventually we all come around to being on the same page. I have spent and do spend hour upon hour researching these things, so please be aware the changes weren't made lightly, all angles and information have been taken into account. The first hard hoop was when we got kicked out of the pediatricians office because we refused vaccinations. The only good reason the nurse could give us to do the vaccines was that there was some polio outbreaks in the US. She couldn't tell us where, didn't know when, and most importantly she didn't have the info that the last case of wild polio was back in 1979. All current cases of polio have been induced by the vaccine itself. Knowing this I knew that she hadn't done all the research that I had, and it would be a pointless discussion. I simply asked to get all of my paperwork back from the office, all personal info that I had given them. She said that we would have to pay for a canceled appointment, I told her I would not because I didn't cancel the appt. the pediatrician did. She told me it was my job to ask when I called if they would treat my children without vaccines. I told her it was their job to ask if I wanted vaccines when I called to make the appointment. Needless to say, I left in tears and Danny called and told them they would be hearing from our attorney if they tried to charge us, we haven't heard from them since. We have been lucky enough to find a pediatrician who respects our decisions (his wife is a chiropractor) and doesn't push anything on us, and he is the greatest ever! He acts as though you are the only patient that he has to see and is willing to sit down and talk with you. We have only seen him 3 times, and his nurse practitioner 2 times. None of these visit were because our kids were sick. Two were for school check ups, one was Nathans two week check, and Annika has been in twice, once for a well child check up and once to check on the ear wax in her ear. (apparently selective deafness has nothing to do with ear wax!) But I am happy to say that in the last two years my kids haven't had any antibiotics, any Tylenol or Motrin and they are doing just fine. This isn't to say that we have all had perfect health, but the things we do come down with we prevent and treat with Chiropractic, and homeopathy (again let me know if you want more info). At this point someone usually likes to tell me that kids can't go to school without vaccines, but I am living proof they can because that is where Alison and Lisa are right now! Nathan is completely vaccine free and has only been to the pediatrician once, when he was two weeks old. Now to the reason for the post today, really I am making a very short story very long, I called the dentist today to make and appointment for Alison and Lisa. We have researched and decided that fluoride is on the list of things we don't want anything to do with, and so I asked when I made the appointment if this would be a problem for the dentist (I had learned my lesson). The office person said "no, but why wouldn't you want it?" To save myself from having to climb on my soapbox I said that we had researched and as a family have decided that it just isn't something we do. She said, very snottily "well, it is a really great way to prevent cavities." I replied, "we have done our research and have decided against it." I am pretty sure she was going to just hang up but I confirmed the appointment very kindly and ended the call. (again for more info, contact me) Reading this I am not sure you can really appreciate the way the call transpired but it was a big ringing bell that reminded me that I am different. Now I can handle the office staff and dentist for that matter, but as a mother I don't care what you do or how you do it, you don't want your kids to be labeled, ostracized, or treated differently because of decision that you are making in their best interest. The other option would be to take them to the holistic dentist down the street, and if $200.00 falls from the sky we will be going to see the fluoride free dentist. If not I have to grin and defend it! In this moment I always remember what my sister has said to me, that I think of often, "Different isn't wrong, it's just different." So please remember this when I get on my soapbox, and you start to think I am a nut, I am not wrong, just different.