"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body" -Elizabeth Stone. Elizabeth Stone certainly did not provide us with empty words when she made this deep statement. If one reads between the lines of Stone's quote, a more sophisticated implication becomes obvious: parenting decisions are far from uncomplicated. Decisions do not simply discontinue upon choosing to rear a child. When entering into the parenting covenant, a mother and father will begin a series of lifelong, often emotionally and physically challenging, parenting judgments. One particular choice is that of childhood vaccinations. For many decades the effectiveness and safeness of childhood vaccinations has been a controversial topic. Choosing whether or not to forgo their child's vaccinations is one of the most difficult decisions parents have to make. Even though many practitioners preach that vaccinations are beneficial and essential, parents should still make informed decisions: too many do not understand the potential consequences, nor do many realize that childhood vaccinations are not a requirement.
Childhood Vaccinations Pt. 2: The concept of immunizing individuals against harmful diseases has been around for centuries; in fact, the ancient Chinese practiced early forms of intentional passive immunity through a process called variolation. In an attempt to rid their communities of the deadly smallpox virus, the Chinese would remove the pus from a victims smallpox wound then transfer it into the body of a patient hoping to receive immunity. In the 18th century... more coming soon!
Childhood Vaccinations: Introduction
Labels: childhood vaccinations , disease , health
Baby's First Birthday Cake Recipe
Sugar, milk, and egg free - but UBER tasty, try it you'll see! Finally, a healthy cake recipe that all can enjoy. I included a healthier icing option too - plus it is very versatile, you can choose whatever pudding flavor you prefer! This recipe makes enough for one 8-inch round cake PLUS a personal size 3x3 cake.
1 cake serves approximately 12 + baby!
Ingredients:
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup golden raisin
3 apples, peeled and grated
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup quick-cooking oat
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/8 cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE ICING
1 (1 1/2 ounce) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 3/4 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions:
1) Place dates, raisins, grated apple, yogurt, and oats into a large processor. Process on high until everything is thoroughly blended: there should not be any distinguishable ingredient pieces.
2) Preheat oven to 350 and grease your baking pans.
3) Transfer fruit, yogurt, and oat mixture to a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients: flour, bran, baking powder, cardamom, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.
4) Pour into greased baking dishes and bake on 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep in mind that the personal sized cake will take a shorter amount of time.
5) For the icing; In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Mix well and let stand until thickened.
6) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pudding and mix well.
7) Finally, fold in the whipped topping.
Labels: baby's first , body , health , healthy eating , recipe
Holistic Health - Defined
Understanding Holistic Heath Pt. 1: “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has” –Hippocrates (460 BC-370 BC). Indeed, Hippocrates was onto something when he... read the remainder of Pt. 1 ::HERE::
Holism, in a sense, is broad and often goes undefined, or better yet misinterpreted. Holistic health is a logical and practical way of life and can be practiced by all, so that the best possible health standards may be achieved. Holism derives from the word ὅλος holos, which is of Greek origin and stands for all, entire, total (Holism, 2009). To further comprehend holistic health, it is important to understand that holistic health practices focus on the physical body and the planet as a whole unit of unique gears and systems that depend on one another, rather than assuming each body part and organism functions alone. Thus, holism as related to health is the idea that an individual’s physical body, mental state, spiritual beliefs and environmental surroundings (to only name a few of the many diverse factors) are all entwined in a perfect web of survival. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, appropriately summed up the overall theory of holism when he stated “The whole is more than the sum of its parts”.
Reference
Holism. (2009). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holism&oldid=292242250
Understanding Holistic Heath Pt. 3: Aristotle was indeed a relevant character, and his famous quote not only appropriately defined holism, it additionally describes the science of philosophy at its simplest form. The controversy surrounding holism in science lies within the argument that holism should not be considered a ‘science’ at all, but a... more coming soon!
