Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Food-Brain Connection

I have lots more to learn on this subject, but I am becoming more and more convinced that much of the health problems our nation faces, including mental & behavioral health, stem from problems with our food. 

There is much that could be said on this subject, but for now, I just want to share this link to one family's success story of essentially "curing" autism in their son simply by changing their diet and food sources.  Check it out here.

The other day, I went to Medical Wellness Associates in Jeannette, PA.  The doctor I met with (Dr. Noah Erickson) had a brain full of information - I sort of wished I had a tape recorder!  (Er, do people still use those?  I guess they are digital now...)  One of the most remarkable things he shared with me was how he was able to treat a child's autism with diet and supplements, and now that child does everything the medical doctors said he wouldn't.  Can you imagine how awesome those parents must feel, to have their son back?!

I hope to share more about that appointment in the coming weeks, but don't just take it from me.  What we eat has life-changing effects.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Joining Forces

I am not sure how many people have heard of the Holistic Moms Network, but I first found them through a link on my friend Bethanie's blog, Green and Grateful.  (I am not even sure if Bethanie is a member!)  It looked cool, and I discovered there is a chapter in Pittsburgh.  However, I never checked it out because, well, it's in Pittsburgh.  It also looked like you had to be a member.

But recently, I emailed the chapter leader, Jennifer, and heard back that anyone is welcome to attend a meeting to check out the group, then decide if they want to join.  She was excited about what we're doing here in Indiana (even if we're not doing much yet, haha!) and said it sounds like we have some similar mindsets.  She let me know that they are having their first chapter meeting of the year on TUESDAY, February 28th.  That's THIS coming Tuesday! 

The meeting is to be held at the Wilkins Community Center PlaySpace (Regent Square) at 6:30 p.m, located at 7604 Charleston Ave., Swissvale, PA, 15218.  Children and spouses are welcome, and there is a play space for the kids (hence the name "PlaySpace") to use while the adults talk. 

Jennifer let me know that there is a membership fee, but that it "pays for itself" with all the discounts and freebies from holistic partners.  Something to keep in mind.  Even if anyone from here attended, it would be a great way to connect with an established network, see what is already going on in our region, and get ideas for our group here.  I would be curious to see what they are about!

[EDIT 2/24/12: Bethanie, my friend through whom I heard of this group, left a comment on our Facebook page -- she said, "We are a member of the Centreville (Northern Virginia) chapter and we absolutely love it. We have learned lots and gotten lots of support/ideas for our lifestyle. We highly recommend becoming members!!! Let me know if you have any questions about them."  Just FYI!]